This book has taken longer to finish than I expected, and at times it did seem to drag. I started with lots of high expectations (an interesting title, is it ‘love at first sight’, a wise cracking female character...) but found that as the story progressed, it didn’t travel the extra mile I was expecting.
There are two main characters and they meet fleetingly at a hotel, by chance. It has a lasting impact on Ryder, an artist, who then puts pictures of the mysterious Lily into his work. The plot revolves around whether they can reunite and have a happy ever after.
There are a number of themes in the book, which for me seem to be covered in a tick box style: character who has not come out, previous relationship involving domestic violence, honest best friend (to one character), alternative love interest, best friend (who tries to help). There were too many things in the mix and as a result none of it was covered in depth.

Sorry, for me this is not ‘a keeper’.

This was a light-hearted easy, romantic read, perfect for a summer holiday break. Lily and Ryder’s ‘meet cute’ is original, and their story enduringly sweet and tender. Really recommend this for a bit of escapism.

Hmm... this was interesting. I'm not so sure how I feel about this book.
I liked the writing style and how how the story developed and how Ryder the artist used Lilly's image in his work over the years. When Lilly & Ryder meet she tries to live up to the image of her in his paintings.
It was okay I guess, I mean I liked the story overall, but I didn't really like Lily...
Looking forward to reading more from this author though.

This was a cute 'romance' type book that held my attention fairly well. :Lily is a mechanic who sees herself as plain and 'one of the guys'. Ryder is an artist who appears to be living a very exciting, Hollywood type life. Neither of the characters are what they appear on the surface, but in a really good way. Lily starts seeing her face in multiple places and is furious yet intrigued as she ponders why this is happening.
Ryder saw Lily once years ago and she became a sort of muse to him. He put her in many of his art pieces and this is how their faces became well known.
I really enjoyed reading their back stories and watching what happens as they get to know each other. It was a little predictable and I didn't love that Lily's face was used without her consent, even for art. However, it was overall a good, quick read that I enjoyed.

I received an advance digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not generally a romance reader, but I liked the description of this one and I'm glad I picked it up! It was a fun, quick read for me. I was a bit annoyed with Lily's insecurity, but I was able to look past that to enjoy Lily and Ryder getting to know each other so sweetly.

What a fun and light romantic read!!

Ryder, an artist, sees Lily from a distance and is fascinated with her to the point that he begins painting her likeness into everything he does for years. His works of art become quite popular and therefore, her face starts to appear everywhere as Lily is now his unknowing "muse." In reality, Lily works in an auto garage and isn't the elegant and put together woman portrayed in many of Ryder's artistic renderings.

Eventually, people start telling Lily they are seeing her face everywhere and it leads to her meeting Ryder and ultimately falling "in love." Lily and Ryder's characters were both a little insecure but they seemed to fit well together. Everything is going well but there are some issues that are unresolved waiting to surface at some point and cause some drama. Lily and Ryder will have to figure out how to overcome their trust issues and acknowledge how they truly feel about one another. To see how it all plays out, you'll have to read the book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this book very much. Loved the characters of Ryder and Lily... The romance and the twists were great. I applaud John Herrick for this delightful book and hope to read more soon.

The blurb on this book intrigued me, a lady who is a mechanic has a chance meeting with an artist, who then goes on to include her in his work like his muse.

The writing style at the beginning is lovely and I liked how the story developed and how Ryder the artist used Lilly's image in his work over the years. When Lilly & Ryder meet she tries to live up to the image of her in his paintings.

It started well and towards the end I was a little bit confused and it felt a bit rushed in some parts for me,
The omission she makes during the story I just didn't believe would happen in real life and I just couldn't buy into this part at all. I was also confused about how her friend was impacted by it all coming out to. Same for Evan how he quickly disappeared during the story.


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

Lily is an auto mechanic with some serious confidence issues. She's never seen herself as beautiful before. That is until she sees a piece of art by Ryder Flynn, featuring her look alike. She's never been one to take a chance and step out of her comfort zone. But what if it were for a chance at love?

I'm giving this book four stars simply because I wasn't in love with the characters. The characters did not relate to me as some of my favorite books have. Besides the lack of connection I had with the characters, this book was delightful. It's a story about love and waiting and finding your passion. It's a classic romantic comedy and a feel-good book. It's slow at times, but picks up quite quickly.

Unbeknownst to her, Lily Machara, a witty auto mechanic, becomes the muse of an upcoming artist named Ryder Flynn after an encounter they had at a hotel. Fast forward six years, Ryder has become a famous artist for his beautiful depictions of a mystery woman. Everyone wants to know who is the modern Mona Lisa in his paintings. Lily’s and Ryder’s paths collide again. While they give in to an electrifying romance, reporters are set on finding who is the real Lily Machara who has captured the handsome artist’s heart. Insecurities, little white lies, and public scrutiny could bring this celebrity couple down.

Written by John Herrick, the author of Beautiful Mess, Mona Lisas and Little White Lies is a romantic comedy novel consisting of 338 pages. It is an ideal pick to read during a lazy Sunday and spring or summer break.

The forte of the story is the development of the romantic relationship between Lily and Ryder. Lily is a woman with insecurities and a sarcastic sense of humor. She is not aware of her beauty and feels like an outsider in a fancy environment. Meanwhile, Ryder is a kind and confident man who possesses the artistic ability to capture the essence of things. For their relationship to work, they need to deal with issues of image, self-esteem, and reality.

My favorite character was Ryder Flynn. His sensibility makes him is a rarity among men. Reading about his paintings and the meaning behind them was pleasant. I was not a fan of Lily’s character. Her constant insecurities were a bit annoying. After I read about the root cause of her self-esteem problems, I understood her better. However, I expected more confidence from a woman who works as a mechanic at an auto shop.

The downside of the story is that the reader is left wanting to know more about what happened between Lily and Aaron. Why their relationship did not work? What was his secret? Also, I thought that the climax of the novel was predictable and the ending was somewhat clichéd.

I would recommend this book to those readers who enjoy romantic comedy, romance, and chick-lit novels. Segue Blue will publish Mona Lisas and Little White Lies on March 19, 2019.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book so I could write an honest review. All the opinions are my own.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial for the ARC!

I'm not so sure how I feel about this book. Some moments are funny and sweet, but I just couldn't ignore the fact that Ryder used her as his "muse" without her consent, and that brought drastic changes to her life. Maybe people won't see that as problem, because she wasn't being completely honest with him either, but... I don't know. I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to.

Despite her beauty, Lily is deeply insecure due to an event that happened in her early twenties. I found it frustrating that she was played as more of a immature person in the beginning when she was wary of a "nice" restaurant, a successful man talking to her, and her job. It is only when she began to see herself in the way Ryder painted her that she truly evolved and loved. As a St. Louisian, the author accurately portrayed the city.

I'm sorry, I tried really hard to like this book. The first half was sweet and promising, especially the way Ryder and Lily get to know each other. But everything beyond became annoying. I am not a avid romance reader but once in a while I really enjoy them.

Here are the main topics that bothered me: First, the plottwist was nearly non-existend. It was such a weak argument that I couldn't take it seriously. Since it was first mentioned I knew what would happen in the end. And even the car race couldn't fix it.
I do understand why Lily did what she did, because I can relate to her as a physicist. But her insecurity got on my nerves. Especially because Ryder is such a sweet person! From the beginning I belived that all his intensions were truly honest.
And thirdly: Why had there to be so much talking about Thailand? That felt so random and inappropiate. In general the dialogues were really weak. When Lily and Ryder talked, it felt like an interview. Lily asked a question and Ryder talked for a page until Lily asked the next thing. And when Ryder starts telling about Thailand it's like he is the only one who knows everything about Thailand and has to explain the whole culture to her. There is nothing wrong with wanting to teach someone else about a different country but the way Ryder did was just weird.

My best friend did some research why the name Ryder Flynn sounds so familiar: Flynn Rider from Disney's Tangled

This was a fun romance and a light read. Lily is not aware that her image is being used in paintings. Ryder is the artist. Will they develop feelings for each other? Thanks to BooksGoSocial and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mona Lisa and Little White Lies
John Herrick
Description
She’s America’s hottest new celebrity. But her identity remains a secret.
Lily Machara is a wisecracking auto mechanic. She’s never cared for glitz or drama. But when Ryder Flynn, a rising star in the world of commercial art, adopts Lily as his muse after a random sighting, Lily discovers herself painted into his hot new pieces ... and becomes America’s newest — anonymous — celebrity. The only problem: The woman Ryder imagines isn’t the true Lily.
Or is it?
Now, as Lily and Ryder give in to mutual curiosity and a budding romance, Lily’s life — secrets and all — fall victim to pop culture with one question on its mind: Who is the woman in Ryder Flynn’s art?
In the spirit of Cyrano de Bergerac and Pretty Woman, MONA LISAS AND LITTLE WHITE LIES is a delightful new romantic comedy from John Herrick, author of Beautiful Mess, From the Dead, and 8 Reasons Your Life Matters. A character-driven page turner and the feel-good story of the year, in the tradition of Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, Emily Giffin, and Elin Hilderbrand. Available as a Kindle Unlimited title.

Lily and Ryder are the year's rom-com. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fun and sweet. No need to go into spoilers, I recommend you read this on a weekend and enjoy as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I am struggling with this one, it is not my usual category of book, I prefer mystery or thrillers. The cover drew me in but so far the story is not. I hate to not finish a story so bad will put it aside and try again in a few days.

If you like a good rom-com this book would probably be for you. The premise was cute with all the right elements. A chance meeting that leads to Ryder Flynn painting Lily for years before they meet. A white lie that you don't think will be a big deal. And then you wait and see what happens. Overall the book was a quick read and had some great elements. At times I felt like the execution was a little stilted and found myself skimming some of the book, but I liked the ending.

A light romance for a lazy Saturday afternoon. Somewhat predictable, but expected in this genre.

The characters never really got under my skin, they did not feel like family, they stayed acquaintances, as if observed from a distance. Neither Lily, her friends or Ryder managed to evoke any emotion.

The writer managed to show how creative someone in love can be. Love is patient, love is beautiful. And love at first sight is indeed possible.

Not beautiful prose that made me want to mark passages in my Kindle, but a love story told.

While I do think that contemporary romance fans will enjoy Mona Lisas And Little White Lies better than I did, I still had a good time reading it. I really liked the premise of this story. The artist inspired by a face he only saw once in all those years, the down to earth car mechanic who doesn't know the power behind her appearance... The art, the chance meeting, the different worlds colliding: the story definitely has all the signs of that feel-good fairytale romance. The main characters Lily and Ryder are easy to like and each have their own personality. I like my quirky characters with flaws and they do feel quite realistic. Their story sounds like something straight out of a movie and it's a story romance fans most likely will fall in love with. For me, there were a bit too many cliches involved, including romance tropes as insta-love and a love triangle. The whole 'little white lies' part felt a bit forced, as well as the final part of the story. Their reactions to the plot twist reveal and aftermath were a bit too cliche and over the top for me, but then again I'm not a drama fan. Some parts were a bit underdeveloped as well, including for example Aaron's past and the role of Chase in the story. I really liked the many descriptions of Thailand though! Overall Mona Lisas And Little White Lies was an entertaining and fluffy contemporary romance read I can recommend to fans of the genre.

If you enjoy cute 'love at first sight' stories with quirky and flawed characters that are easy to like, you will probably love Mona Lisas And Little White Lies. The general idea behind this story is interesting and I loved the many art, car and Thailand references. The plot did get a bit predictable and cliche at points, and the dose of drama was a bit high towards the ending, but overall this was still a satisfying contemporary romance read.

Review can also be found on goodreads.com/kits.picks

I absolutely loved the main characters, Ryder and Lily. Ryder doesn’t have the tortured artist, ego-filled persona that I thought he would, so I appreciated his genuine personality. As for Lily, I connected to her on many personal levels and I see a lot of other people easily relating to her emotions and thoughts. Both characters were very realistic which was the highlight of the book for me and made it enjoyable to read.

As far as plot goes, the climax was definitely a let down. Of course with any love story, there’s something that tears the couple apart, and in this case that reason/event was very weak. In my opinion, it wasn’t a huge deal and saw this coming from the very first time it was mentioned in the book. Since I couldn’t get behind the drama of the climax, it was hard for me to relate to Lily and Ryder’s feelings in the aftermath and left me half-heartedly reading for the remainder of the book.

Overall, I did enjoy the book because of the story itself, which was the premise on why I read the book. Her being the modern Mona Lisa was very appealing and I thought it was a fun idea. I’m glad I got to meet Lily and Ryder and follow their love story, but the plot overall is what made this fall short.