Once Upon a Bad Boy by Melonie Johnson is the story of Sadie Goldovitz who is an actress using the last name of Gold. She plans to reward herself with one donut after a hard week of working out for her upcoming role. She gets her friend Ana to meet her and they split two donuts so Sadie only eats one but can half each of the two she can’t make up her mind about. Sadie decides to delay her gratification a bit and gets her donuts to go. When she meets for the afternoon meeting and learns her co-star Ryan also loves donuts, she offers to share a bite. Will she and Ryan share more? What happens when she shows up on set and learns the stunt coordinator is her childhood love who dumped her on prom night? Will she be able to compete the stunts and finish the move?
I liked this book and found it a quick, interesting read. It is a pretty much typical romance story. Boy meets girl, break up, get back together, meet someone else, breakup, etc. There are some surprises along the way to a happy ending for at least two of the characters. I rate it 4 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Yes!! I absolutely loved this contemporary romance. Sadie and Bo spent every Summer together on her grandmother's estate. As they got older hormones kicked in and they fell in love in high school. Unfortunately, prom night changed both their lives. Sadie went on working towards becoming a well known actress while Bo worked hard as a stunt coordinator. Eventually, their paths crossed. The ups, downs, normal anxieties, feelings and romance pulled on heartstrings and hoping somehow for that HEA. I received a complementary copy of this book via Net Galley and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Johnson and am hoping Luna gets a book.

I am a total sucker for a second chance love story. Nothing speaks to my inner romantic more than two people, who loved each other deeply when they were younger, finding their way back together many years later. Also, I love groveling.

But I almost quit on this one. It took me two nights to read the first 40 percent. I appreciate an author setting up a story, but it seemed this one took too long to get to the good stuff…

Sadie Gold is an up-and-coming actress about to star in her first major film. She’s happy to be in Chicago, near where she grew up and where her best friends still live. Things take a turn when she discovers the man who is in charge of coordinating stunts for the action film is the man who broke her heart when she was 18.

Bo Ibarra loved Sadie, but broke up with her “for her own good.” (Ugh...I despise this reasoning to begin with, and I don’t feel like the situation that lead him to that conclusion was explained adequately, but never mind that…moving on!) Now he’s going to be working closely with her for the next couple months, and can’t help but feel fate has intervened to give them a second chance.

With very little effort, they find themselves back in love. But then something from the past - something Sadie meant to tell Bo about, but kept putting off - makes a forced appearance, and breaks them apart, again.

Despite a S-L-O-W start, this book had a lot going for it. The last half of the book, the pacing picked up as Sadie and Bo got to know each other again. I liked how the hero and heroine (kinda) took things slow, but things were still pretty steamy. Once they decided they wanted to be together, they didn’t dwell on the past. Which is good, what’s done is done and you can’t go back. However, maybe if they had spent more time talking about what went down between them when they were young, Sadie’s hand wouldn’t have been forced into telling Bo about the choices she made after he pushed her away.

But then, you know…there’s not much drama to the book. And that would be a shame. Because even though I could see where things were going (and easily figured out what Sadie’s secret was), and feel like there could have been more discussion about choices and consequences and how they felt, this book had the right amount of drama and angst.

Once Upon a Bad Boy is why I’ve kept reading so many books this year that didn’t immediately pull me in. Because every once in a while, there’s that one book that gets really good, and you can’t put it down all afternoon. It makes the not-so-exciting chapters worth it!

* thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I don’t know! I have read the other books in this series and totally felt them, related to the characters and rooted for them. I wish I had felt the same about Sadie’s book, but unfortunately, for me, it didn’t have the same punch that the others had. I did not relate to Sadie and Bo the way I wish I could have. I am looking forward to Ana’s book and i hope I feel more emotion than this story g

Melonie Johnson has created realistic, likeable characters in Once Upon a Bad Boy. Sadie is a good study in stereotypes. Everyone thinks growing up rich equates to have a great life but once again we're reminded that money is not the source of all happiness. Absentee parents never made her life easy. Having her career success attributed to her family's wealth stings in the worst way. She's determined to prove to the world her worth as an actress and pours her heart into the amazing role she's landed.

Bo's the one that got away and it broke Sadie's heart. She's never gotten over her first love but life goes on and some hurts are too deep to overcome. She's shocked to find he's working on the same movie and not too happy that he still makes her heart yearn.

Bo's been guilty of stereotyping Sadie too and though he regrets losing her he knows he did what was right. Or did he?

The two find quickly that what they had so many years ago still burns inside both of them. On on-set affair will do neither of their relationships any good but they're soon spending time together rekindling their love.

There some intrigue, lots of missed cues and misunderstandings. There's also a sweet love, great friends amazing family members and plenty else to keep the reader turning pages.

I enjoyed this book and think you will too.

reviewed by Jem

I loved this emotional and steamy second-chance romance with wonderful characters and a smartly written story that kept me totally involved in all that was happening from the beginning and I really didn't want the book to end. I loved the undeniable chemistry between Sadie Gold, an actress who is ready to take her career to the next level with the lead role in a new action movie, and good-looking and irresistible Bo Ibarra who is the stunt coordinator. This is the third book in the Sometimes in Love series by gifted author, Melonie Johnson, and I can hardly wait to read what she has for us next. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Life is made up of choices. Good, bad, ugly - it doesn't really matter. The past is filled with choices. They say hindsight is 20/20 but it still doesn't change anything.

Once Upon a Bad Boy is a second chance...the one who got away story. A bright future and a murky past collide and create a hazy present. Only these two can figure out what is to come.

This is my favorite book of the series!! Melonie Johnson did an excellent job of balancing light and funny with serious and a bit heartbreaking.

I loved the chemistry between Bo and Sadie. I feel like they handled their history and issues in a mature and realistic manner and I adored seeing them get their HEA.

*I received an ARC for voluntary review

Yay I was dying to know what Sadie was thinking in Bonnie’s book! It was killing me and now all is right in the world lol
“Barely five months ago, Bonnie had still been engaged to Gabe, her long-term boyfriend. Sadie had always hoped the pair would make it. Partly because she wanted her friend to have her happily ever after, but also, selfishly, it would be nice to know that childhood sweethearts could last. That it could happen.”
This quote hit me straight in the feels💖 “She’d wanted to accomplish so much before that milestone, but had wasted too many years stuck in neutral.” Sadie is doing a great job! She is too hard on herself.
“I didn’t think I was unhappy before, exactly, but . . .” “A piece of you was missing.” Nana nodded. “I know what that feels like, to be without the other part of yourself.” This one also spoke to my soul.
“Men are like cake,” Ana explained. “And I love cake. But I’m not in love. Not yet.” Ana drizzled chocolate syrup on the inside of a martini glass. “I have yet to find the perfect recipe. The right blend of richness, sweetness, and texture. The right balance of cake to frosting.” Those four quotes I could not get out of my head. I love books that stick with you long after you read it. It dealt with some heavy topics but their support team was out of this world. Sometimes second chances are worth it.

Another great read in the Sometimes in Love series!

Sadie is an actress. Bo has been hired to help train on set. Sadie and Bo have a history that goes wayyyyy back, but essentially they've both been hurt. Can they put that behind them? To put it all behind them, Sadie needs to come clean about what she went through when they were together when they were young.

These two were so great to watch rekindle their friendship and ultimately their romantic relationship. We see a little bit of previous characters, and I have absolutely loved reading this series.

This book is a very sweet, emotional m/f contemporary romance, with a second chance at love. Sadie and Bo were childhood sweethearts, but Bo broke up with her on prom night and broke her heart. They don’t see each other for 10 years. They end up having to work together on a movie that is Sadie’s big break as an actress and Bo’s biggest job as a stunt coordinator. The old sparks reignite and they don’t fight their feelings.

I appreciated that they didn’t run from what they felt for each other. They both accepted really early that they were each other’s person. But the road is not all smooth sailing as they still have ghosts from the past to face. She never knew why he broke up with her. And she also kept a big secret from him.

I was able to guess what the secret was pretty quickly, but I didn’t mind. I liked the way they talked to each other. I liked the way they cared about each other. I liked the memories of their time together as first loves. But it drove me crazy how long it took them to talk about their past. I wanted to scream at them to just talk already! But really, that’s a minor complaint.

All the friends from the previous books in the series were there, and they were fantastic. I would have liked more of them, actually. We got to see so much of them in the first book, which was a smart way to kick off the series. In fact, this book might be my favorite in the series. I loved the first one because of the big, sexy ginger hero, but this one gave me more feels. It was a bit of a slow start, but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop.

I give this book 4.5 stars. It was a fun, sweet read, and I will probably enjoy it on rereads. In fact, I’ll probably track down a print copy to go with my copy of Getting Hot with the Scot. Also, I really love the covers they are putting on this series.

Okay i'm back and I have to say out of the series this is hands down my favorite!
The emotion in this book was crazy. It made me feel everything.

I love a second chance romance. Sadie and Bo knew each other from little kids and at 18 Bo left Sadies because he thought she would be better off without him. He thought she would resent him if they stayed together and she could not live her life and do what she dreamed.

Sadie had grown up in a very wealthy family and a lot of people around her thought mom and dad paid for everything, got her into the best schools and got her into her acting career. But Sadie did it on her own, she did not want to be the spoiled rich girl, she hated it. Bo on the other hand lived on Sadie's grandmother's property. His father worked on the land. Bo had grown up on the land and wanting to take over for his dad when he gets older. He loved the stables and loved the horses and would always dream he would run it.

Every summer since Sadie was little her parents/nanny/driver would be dropped her off at her grandmother's house and that's where she met Bo. They spent every summer together until the horrible summer when Sadie was 18. Don't want to spoil to much but that summer change both their lives. They hadn't seen each other in 16 years and when Sadie finally landed her dream roll in a movie, who was her stunt manager? The one and only, her one true love, the man she was always in love with Bo, even if she tried to hid it and ignore it.

This story had me locked in from the first moment. Both Sadie and Bo had secrets they needed to tell each other from from the 16 years they were apart but it was hard. They both wanted a second chance with each other. They were it for each other but could they tell each other the secrets they had and could the other except those secrets.

This series is based on a group of girl friends and each book belong to each of their lives. I cant wait to read more of their stories. Cassie was book 1, Bonnie was book 2 and not book 3 is Sadie.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC. This ARC was given for my honest opinion.

Melonie Johnson's "Once Upon a Bad Boy" was an excellent second chance romance, and I loved it. It seemed to have a somewhat different, more serious tone than the first two books in the series, but still managed to be charming and incorporate some humorous moments.

I adored Sadie, the female lead character. She seemed so down-to-earth despite growing up wealthy and becoming successful as an actress. I really admired her strength and independence, as well as her ability to stand up for herself, her choices, and what she believed in despite her own insecurities and what other people might think. In addition, it was great to learn more about Sadie's friendship with Ana. I liked them and their banter in the first two books of the series, but their special relationship really shines in this story.

I also loved the male main character, Bo. From the beginning, he comes across as a great guy and still seems to care about Sadie, so at first it was tough for me to understand why he broke up with her back when they were teenagers. As it turns out, Bo really is a pretty great guy and his reasons for ending things with Sadie were understandable, given their ages at the time. They were so young back then, and their different family circumstances probably seemed insurmountable at the time. Only with maturity and life experience did Bo come to realize that the external trappings of Sadie's family's wealth didn't matter and shouldn't be a reason to keep them apart.

The secondary characters featured in this book were wonderful too, particularly Sadie's grandma and Bo's adorable nephew, Toby. Bo's sister, Luna, was intriguing as well. She didn't come across as very likeable at first, but as I got to know and understand her a bit better, I sympathized with her more and more. (It seems to me like she might need a HEA of her own!)

I am definitely looking forward to Melonie Johnson's next book.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Melonie Johnson’s third novel in the extremely charming “Sometimes in Love” series shifts the focus to Sadie, another of the group of friends who form the core of the series. Sadie is attaining her dream of becoming a movie star, and her current role brings her back in touch with her childhood love. Clearly the two have loved each other even in absence, and being forced to spend time together professionally gives them the time to relearn about each other.

I’ve said it before; Johnson does friendships so well, and she is on her game again in this story. Sadie and Bo are strong independent characters and really make this one shine!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have nothing against Sadie and Bo and actually liked them. Bo's reasoning for breaking up with her in their youth seemed weak. Also he wasn't really a "bad boy", IMO. Just because he didn't come from money doesn't make him that and nothing else suggested it to me. So no bad boy vibe there. Sadie's part in her past seemed thrown in and not really developed. They jumped into bed rather quickly with all their hurt and drama still in place and not just once but multiple times. Their past or current relationships weren't developed enough for me. Overall I did like the star/stunt man part and if you overlooked the development issues it was a cute read.

Once Upon A Bad Boy by Melonis Johnson is the third in the Sometimes in Love series. This a story of second chances.

Actress Sadie Gold shows up for her first day of filming to find that Bo Ibarra is the stunt coordinator her movie. Bo and Sadie had been an item until just after her senior prom, when Bo broke up with Sadie. Ten years later - actually - eleven years had passed.

What will happen when Bo and Sadie have to spend time together? Will they be able to maintain their distance or will they become involved again?

This book has it all: love, romance and some laughs. It is an easy read and very enjoyable. I recommend this book even if contemporary romance is not your usual genre. Read it, I think you’ll like it.
Thank you #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for approving my request. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I wanted to start off by saying that this book is not a about a bad boy. I love Bo and he is such a
sweet character and I am kinda offended that he is called a bad boy. Maybe he is a naughty boy,
but who's complaining? Anyway let's get to the meat and potatoes of why we are here today.

Bo and Sadie had that young, intense love and I was there for it all the way. I could just tell from
the beginning that their love story was not going to be easy. Sadie is an actress who has been
cast in a ground breaking role as a superhero and Bo is a stunt coordinator for movies in the
windy city, Chicago. What happens when your first love, whom you haven't seen in 11 years,
is responsible for your stunts in a movie that is bound to make you an A list star? The answer
comes in sparks and hot make out sessions. Yes. Yes.

This story had great main and side characters to carry it and to keep it entertaining. In case I forgot to mention, this book three of the Summer in Love series, I previously read book 2 and this the second book that I have read in this series. I enjoyed this installment more than the second one and this book has more heart. This story is broken down to a very personal level and it gets a little political towards the middle to the end. I was also taken to a movie set and I had fun along with these characters.

The love story was dragged out but it was worth it. This is a story that many have read
before, a rich girl meets poor boy and poor boy leaves because he can't give rich girl what she
wants, but this one is so grounded and raw. Bo's family has worked for Sadie's family ever since Bo's parents emigrated to America. The family bond was powerful and I love how Bo's mother was the matriarch of the family. Sadie was born with a silver spoon, but she wanted to make it in the movie industry by her own chops and wanted to prove to Hollywood that she wasn't some spoiled heiress who needed her money to make it. They had amazing chemistry and the road to their happily ever after was rugged.

Well, I would have to say that this was almost a 5 star read if it wasn't for the rushed, abrupt ending.
When I reached the 96% and nothing was getting wrapped up, I knew that I would be unsatisfied
with the ending and I was most definitely dissatisfied. I had to keep refilling my tea cup because
this book was wonderful. Go pick it up.

Rating: ★★★ (3 Stars)
Title: Once Upon A Bad Boy
Author(s): Melonie Johnson
Character(s):
― Mercedes “Sadie Gold” Goldovitz: 29 years old, Blonde, Violet
― Bo Ibarra: Brunette, Brown Eyed
Setting: Chicago, Illinois
Tag(s): Romance, Contemporary
Content Rating: R
POV: Third Person
Smexy Level: Hot
Favorite Quote(s): N/A
Overall Opinion:
Once Upon A Bad Boy by Melonie Johnson was an entertaining read. The story is about second chance romance. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. Overall, I enjoyed Melonie Johnson’s writing style and the story in general. Everything flowed smoothly and there weren’t a whole lot of awkward moments as far as the writing goes.

Unfortunately, I never really connected with either character. Or maybe I never really felt the connection between the two.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to be reviewed in exchange for my honest opinion.

To me, this book was the best of the three. I always enjoy a good second chance romance. Sadie and Bo are an opposites-attract, friends-to-lovers couple. I did like that we revisited their past since it helped build up on their relationship in the present. I also liked Sadie and Bo both individually and together. Seeing what will become of these two was interesting. Overall, this story did keep me invested to see what will happen. This was a sweet easy read made for a relaxing day.

This was a great addition to this series. This time it's Sadie's turn to get her happily ever after. You can guess everything that is going to happen in the book but it's still fun to read this book. Bo was and still is Sadie's perfect match. It was fun to see how they were in their past. If you liked the first two books, you will enjoy this one. If you haven't read those books yet, why not?

*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*