A cute story about what happens when you have to start over but refuse to have help. There’s also a side of book-review etiquette lecturing. I found the characters to be mostly likable, but there was a lot of internal monologue that moved a bit slow for me.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Madeleine/Maddie walked inside her book store, it felt like home. Maddie breathed in its peace. This was her sanctuary. Six months ago Maddie’s fiance had begged her to abandon her small town business and follow him back to the city. But she chose to stay. One half of Maddie’s dream had come true but at the cost of the to her other half. Gentry’s French bistro lured all the morning traffic away from her pitiful cafe. Max stopped and had her help to bring in some baked goods. He asked her if she considered his proposition. She said not so much and Max said it would be good for both of their businesses. He claimed to want to expand his catering business, that he ran with his mom, into her book store to get a foothold in town. He claimed it would help her bottom line and maybe it would . But it drove Maddie insane that he thought he had all the answers. Always giving her unasked for advice. Maddie only had to figure out why he wanted to insinuate himself into her business. He did have a degree in marketing and had done a lot for his moms bakery. He told he had ideas, ways to make better use of her space and grow her customer base. He claimed it would be a partnership. Maddie had grown up loving books and reading them. She was a voracious reader. Maddie had tried her hand at writing herself. Fortunately she managed to land a book deal but she hadn't made her author identity public yet, she’d decide whether to confess that once her novel was released in a matter of weeks and than only if it had positive reception. Maddie’s pen name was Claire Kincade. Layla was Maddie’s best friend, roommate and confidante and Max was her twin brother and best friend. Layla was the only person in town, beside her mother, who knew about her side career as an author She had told Layla her secret because she needed Layla’s skills to help her set up her website and show her how to use Twitter to promote herself when the time came. As Maddie was leading her book club discussion at her store. Earlier she had Layla read her the review of her book done by someone named Silver Fox and it really bothered her. Even if it was rated a solid three, Silver Fox had inferred the author knew nothing of romance. Maddie hoped for a better review by someone obviously not heartless on her book. Than Dylan walked into the store and his eyes looked directly at her. The group shot questions to Dylan that he answered as he moved into the store. Dylan kept glancing sidelong at her. Dylan had been Maddie’s boyfriend and took her virginity in HS. After graduation he left on a bus for NYC. Now Dylan was a rock star. The Dylan she knew had ceased to exist. Dylan said he would stop in the next day as he left after the book club meeting. Than as she was closing the store Max popped up and startled her as she thought he had left with the others. He asked her if she wanted to have a slice of pizza and she said she just wanted to go home so he walked across the street to her and Layla’s apartment. Everything had been a competition between them since HS. At one time Maddy, Max and Layla had been inseparable. Maddie had walked away from an exciting career in product management to buy the book store even if it was risky. But at the time she assumed she’d have financial security in the form of a supportive, employed husband. But her fiance Peter had jilted her on their wedding day when she hadn’t sold the bookstore. What scared Maddie was if Peter called in his side of the loan as she didn’t have the money right now to pay him back. Maddie and Silver Fox sent emails back and forth at first she sent him a rude email after his review when she was drunk but as time goes on the emails change and Maddie enjoys corresponding back and forth. After she had apologized as did he. Maddie had to do something her next book deadline was quickly approaching.
I had mixed feelings about his book. It was somewhat predictable. I did not like Maddie even thought about giving Peter another chance after what he did to her. I thought Maddie was pretty indecisive about things such as people in her life and the bookstore. I liked the back and forth between Maddie and Silver Fox even if it was wrong and unprofessional to text him drunk. This dragged for me at times. I almost gave up on the book but wanted to see who Maddie ended up with and what she did about her bookstore. I did chuckle at times while reading this. I also liked the ending. So as you can tell I had mixed feelings about this book.

Meh, it feels like the author had a lot of great ideas put into this book...none of them fully fleshed out. It was an enjoyable read I guess, but nothing life-altering or something I’m likely to recommend.

A book about a book store owner/writer, how perfect is that? I really enjoyed the book. The banter between the writer and silver fox was on point and the overall story flowed nicely. I would definitely recommend this.

Maddie's living in her small home town of Orion, running a bookstore/cafe that's struggling, and she's still reeling from her fiancé Peter walking out on her (even though he owns half the bookstore). However, she's got a book coming out! Yay! Unfortunately, the first review, by a blogger who calls himself Silver Fox, isn't so good and she, unwisely, engages with him. Their back and forth evolves though and eventually they are sharing rewrites of scenes (some of which are pretty steamy) for her next book. But who IS Silver Fox? Is it her ex Peter? Her childhood friend Max? Her high school love and rock god Dylan? Or Charlie a professor who grades papers in the store? This is a nice light tale that touches on some more serious issues, such as fading opportunity in small towns. It's nicely written and plotted so that you'll be guessing til the end who the Fox really is. Thanks to Netgally for the ARC. An enjoyable romp.

Funny how so many life-altering moments are accompanied by three little words. I love you. Kiss the bride. Hold my beer.

I went into June wanting to read fun, sweet, happier books along with my books for Pride month (yes there is overlap there.) This book comes out towards the end of June, so it seemed to fit the bill for a fun romance book! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I am so sorry for the therapy session that's about to follow.

Dating By the Book
by Mary Ann Marlowe 
Publish Date: June 25, 2019
Read Date: June 18, 2019
Format: e-ARC
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, "Chick Lit"
Page Count:
Rating:  4.5/5 Moose

Synopsis
Maddie Hanson has picked up her life since she got left at the altar. She's got her hometown, her bookshop is staying just above board, and her book is coming out in a few weeks! Her publisher warns her against setting up google alerts for herself or looking at reviews, but of course she doesn't listen and stumbles across a 3-star review. On top of getting her character's names wrong, the reviewer accuses her of having no passion!

Determined to prove the reviewer (Silver Fox) wrong, she looks at the potential men in her life she could date: the famous rock star who is back in town, the bookish college professor, the boy next door that she can't decide if he wants her heart or her business, and even her ex-fiance is wanting her back. To add fuel to the fire, the conversation with Silver Fox turns flirtatious. Maddie decides to rely on the classic love stories to guide her to her own romantic hero.

Characters
Maddie  - Maddie is our small town bookstore owner whose first book is about to be published. She's an only child of a single parent who adopted her, she tried her time in the corporate world, but is very happy to be back in her hometown owning the bookstore she went to as a child.

Leyla - Maddie's best friend and roommate, Max's twin sister. Introverted and runs a band's forum.

Peter - Maddie's ex-fiance who left her at the altar. He also owns half of her bookstore.

Silver Fox - The anonymous reviewer who gives Maddie's book 3 stars

Dylan - Maddie's first love, who went off to become a musician

Charlie - A professor at a local college who is one of Maddie's best customers

Max - One of Maddie's oldest friends, always in competition with her and wants to maybe take over Maddie's business

Rants, Raves, and Reviews
I took a few days to think about my review of this book because somehow this book turned into an internal therapy session for myself. In part I kind of blame the amount of romance based books I've been reading recently, tied in with my ever questioning if I want to date or be in a relationship.

I like romance. I'm iffy on people.

Anyways, a lot of Maddie's life is what I want. I would enjoy owning a bookstore (though it isn't my dream job necessarily), I would love a publishing contract....but I would likely not enjoy dealing with being left at the altar by my fiance. Much less a fiance that I would still have to be in contact with. I think that's part of why I felt so much about this book -- in some ways it is the romantic life I want?

Being left at the altar six months before the opening of the book really isn't the point in your life where you're going "man I want to date." And to be fair, Maddie's not looking for romance at first. The bookshop and the excitement of her first book is enough! But no, she breaks the cardinal rule of being a writer: don't look at the reviews.

(Or maybe you do because sometimes it leads to a romance who am I to say)

The review discusses how Maddie has no romance or passion in her life, and it reflects in her book. Thus Maddie gets a bit obsessive about if she's had passion with her ex, and has it been long enough to try to find a new romance. Thus all the men in her life become romantic leads. There's Charlie, who might be her own Professor Bhaer, Max, who might be her Laurie (if you ship Jo and Laurie that is), Peter who might be her Darcy, or Dylan, who is every bad boy romantic lead who needs to be tamed and claimed.

But behind all these dudes, there is the reviewer who Maddie broke the rule and contacted, which  leads to surprisingly amicable conversation. I'll admit, the reviewer comes off incredibly rude and passive aggressive at first -- while he makes some good points about the fact that the author shouldn't be commenting on reviews, There's a better way to go about it? I mean, reviewers have been harassed and stalked by authors -- just don't read reviews. Yet here it turns into a wonderful You've Got Mail (or Shop Around the Corner) story line.

Which, in all honesty, is my kryptonite. I adore flirtatious correspondences, whether it be letters or emails. Or even Twitter DMs, I guess. (This has, in part, been ruined for me by a dude, as most things are. So it was really nice to see it in a book even if it is what caused me existential heartache.) And both You've Got Mail and Shop Around the Corner have problematic aspects that the author corrects here. (Or changes into other problematic issues - don't message reviewers please?)

It is easier to flirt through written correspondence -- you can delete or retype until you are content with your message -- which I think also can lead to flirting progressing much quicker than in real life. Thus we get this line that truly made me laugh out loud:

I didn't know where I'd gotten the courage to solicit what amounted to a literary dick pic.

I think most women would prefer a literary dick pic to a real one.

Seriously, this book is cute and fun. My own crisis with it comes from my own passion and dating damage. It did lead me down a long line of thought of "literary heroines" -- why is it always Lizzie Bennett? I am very much a Catherine Morland myself, if I must go with an Austen heroine.

Is it because Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Jane Eyre, and Gone With the Wind are still recognizable to most people, even if they haven't read the books? There are some more modern references -- Hermione Granger, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda-- that made me wonder if this is why classics are usually drawn out. It also led me to wonder who my literary heroines are...I smell a future blog post.

Final Thoughts
I do recommend this book if you like this genre. It has some good subplots, and while Maddie maybe is constantly surrounded by dudes that seem to want to date her, it feels like she's losing control rather than floating through. Plus the question of who IS Silver Fox had me almost convinced I was wrong until the end.

I was enamored by Mary Ann Marlowe's first two books, but some of that magic was missing from Dating by the Book. I liked Maddie a lot, and if I was living in Orion we'd absolutely be BFF's. She's a good person at the core and I can't help but admire her dedication to keep her bookstore.

I don't want to give away the who, because there are a few suitors in the book, but I found it was fairly easy to pick out who she would end up with, he's absolutely adorable and his love for Maddie shines through, even though she can't see it yet.

I was a little leery at the beginning when she wrote to the reviewer, but that turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the story. I enjoyed all the conversations she had with Silver Fox, the connection that they made and that they both seemed to help each other. I especially liked that she opened herself up to critique of her next book.

I was a little frustrated by the amount of suitors in the book, there is her ex-fiance, an ex-boyfriend from back in the day, a guy who comes to her coffee shop every day and a childhood friend. They're not all realistic suitors from a readers point of view, but Maddie was too caught up in finding her romantic hero to rule out the choices that the reader can.

Dating By The Book by Mary Ann Marlowe is the perfect read for a rainy day. With a mix fun romance, mystery, and never-ending book references, what’s not to love about this heart-warming book? Set in a small town book shop named the Mossy Stone, the story unfolds with Maddie, a soon-to-be published author, who is struggling to keep her business afloat. After receiving a negative review for her new book, she takes it into her own hands by replying to the online reviewer, Silver Fox. Little does she know that this one email leads her down an enlightening path of banter and friendship.

Finding a romance hero in real life seems pretty much impossible, but Maddie wants to prove to Silver Fox and herself that true romance is real. As you watch her journey through her past and current love affairs, there is an urge to root for everyone on her live life spectrum. Whether it be an ex-fiancé, an old flame, a cute regular customer, childhood friend, or even mysterious internet guy you really hope isn’t a total creep, you hope Maddie finds the love only books talk about.

Maddie is an easy character to relate with as she questions her love life constantly, struggles to keep her beloved bookshop afloat, and compares people she knows to book characters to try to understand their position better. Then again, while connecting similar traits to beloved fiction characters can have its charm, it becomes her downfall. As she puts labels and unneeded expectations on the friends surrounding her, it leaves little room for her opinion of them to change. Throughout the book, she learns not to judge people from their past actions and to instead look at them in a new light.

It’s great to see the incorporation of socialising through technology to watch how readers and writers can actually interact. Through a book review, Maddie gets to know one of her readers on a more personal level after multiple emails and messages exchanged. What makes this part of the book even more enjoyable is that you are constantly guessing who the mysterious ‘Silver Fox’ is. There are small hints towards each character which keeps you on your toes.

When a book adds multiple references to classic novels plus has book clubs within the book, you know you have picked up a gem. It’s fun to watch the individual characters have discussions about books and all you want to do is join in with them. Their witty banter and points about if the protagonist ended up with the right person leave you wanting to read the books over again.

At the centre of this novel is finding where your heart lies, whether it be a person or a place. It reminds us that love can be over-exaggerated in books sometimes and that it isn’t always fluffy or chasing after people in the rain. Love is not limited to a first kiss. That our heart can lie within a bookshop that is slowly falling apart.

"And when I write romance, yes, I want there to be chemistry and tension, but also respect and real palpable love. The kind that cab survives obstacles, separation, or cultural differences that render them ostensibly incompatible. That is romance."

Dating By The Book is a hidden gem that can be read in one go as you are sucked into the engaging characters and fun story that leaves you with an appreciation for bookstores along with the sense of belonging. This book is the feeling when you are curled up in the corner with a hot beverage and the warmth of a blanket. I highly recommend this book for a fresh sense of home and just because it makes you feel good.

- To be published June 30th on The Nerd Daily

Enjoy!

Maddie Hanson is trying to figure how to keep her bookstore in the black after her now ex-fiancé Peter Mercer left her at the altar. Part of the bookstore was a coffee shop that her friend Max Beckett kept in stock with pastries but that was a major part of her income because she had a contract for a fantasy book that was being published soon but she couldn’t use her book money to keep the store in the black forever. Maddie had a book club that met at the bookstore that read classic romance such as Pride and Prejudice that had some eligible guys in it but many she knew since school.

An anonymous reviewer gave her soon-to-be published book a 3 star review and she sent an email to the reviewer which most editors tell the author not to do but she did anyway. Maddie’s contact with reviewer Silver Fox leads to many different conversations and to Maddie looking at guys a little different and still not getting back with her ex- fiancé.

Dating by the Book is interesting because there are not many romance books that surprise me with who Maddie actually ends up falling in love with because I wasn’t sure until the actual end of the story.

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

THis was a sweet story about a bookstore owner in a small Indiana town whose views on romance revolve around the classic tales of romance she discusses in her weekly bookclub. If you can accept the premise that all the attractive single men in this town are attracted to her and are willing to attend a regular bookclub to discuss books such as Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Little Women, and Gone with the Wind, you’ll enjoy their discussions of these classics and the different take that some of the guys have on the couples in these books.

Add in the mysterious “Silver Fox,” who is an ARC reviewer for the fantasy book that Maddie, our heroine, has written and has coming out in paperback. Maddie gets upset when Silver Fox criticizes her portrayal of romance in the book. She emails him and thus begins an increasingly revealing conversation between the two as they tell the other about their troubles in romance.

I was a little impatient with Maddie since she seemed blind to what was going on about her and who was really the guy who was her true love for the ages. It took her a long time to wake up and figure out what the reader had figured out a lot earlier.

All in all, this was a fun debut novel and I enjoyed the meta-plot lines involving an ARC reader and book discussions.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is awesome and cute and good and all of the above I loved this one!!!! I can’t wait to re read it rom com and in a bookstore everything I need to make a book awesome!!!!

Maddie runs a bookstore and wrote her first novel but recovering from being left at the altar has made life difficult. Bills are hard to cover, she doesn't want to need help, and her high school boyfriend who left for NYC without her is back in town. Maddie's past, present, and secret writer life are difficult to reconcile and when her ex-fiance comes back, everything becomes more complicated. When she emails an anonymous reviewer who criticized her book and strikes up a regular correspondence, she starts to see her life in a new light.

A Rom-Com taking place within the setting of an actual bookstore! What more could a reader ask for!

Maddie Hanson is a fledgling author preparing for the release of her very first novel. She’s also trying to keep her quaint little bookstore afloat.

She’s received a three-star review for her upcoming first release from a gentleman nick-named the Silver Fox. Slightly miffed, if not down-right incensed, she can’t help but engage Mr. Silver Fox! (Never a good idea)!
But for Maddie it may just turn out to be the best thing that could happened to her. Maybe he can help elevate her writing by adding a little extra soul and spice to her books, by way of kindly reminding her what romance truly means.

This is a sweet and quaint Rom-Com, though I found it to be somewhat predictable. If you’re in search of a light, lovely read that will put a bit of romance back in your life, Look no further!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Mary Ann Marlowe for an ARC to read and review.

I really like Maddie's character and her story. There is a lot going on and there are a lot of characters to follow and keep up with. The flow is good, the banter is witty and it is quite funny. It is very likeable and is a fun time.

Owning a bookstore in small town Indiana is all Maddie Hanson ever wanted to do. And she's living her dream. To bad it came at the expense of her with marriage. 6 months ago her fiance issued an ultimatum it was either him or the town. She chose the town.
Now she's struggling to pay back her ex for his part of the store's mortgage, trying to keep up on shop repairs, and emailing the guy who gave her about-to-be-published debut novel a three star rating. The last starts as a scathing reply to his review and ends up as a back and forth between two people who are starting to get to know each other.
As a woman in her late 20s, one who was going to be married just a year ago, Maddie is very obsessed with finding the hero of her story. She is a romance reader in the sense that she tends towards the classics, she discusses Jane Eeyre, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and Gone with the Wind. And other readers may find it a bit much but I think there is a time in your life when you really do look at everyone you encounter as a possible romantic lead in the story of your own life. I wish there had been more with Maddie's relationship with her mother and her friend Layla.

Four stars
This book comes out June 25th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Dating by the Book was an enjoyable novel about a book shop owner who also just happened to author her first book that is about to be published under a pen name. She has a few love interests, but she has not found her complete package. A reviewer who gave a less than favorable review catches Maddie's attention as she fires off a drunken email.

The book was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed reading how Maddie's story would evolve. It almost felt like an updated You've Got Mail. It is a good romance light hearted beach read. I gave it 4 stars.

3 1/2 stars. Loved the premise of this one! Sometimes Maddie got on my nerves and left me shaking my head but overall it was a cute, fun book, with a fresh clever idea. Cant wait to read more by this author.

Dating by the Book, Mary Ann Marlowe

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction

I loved Mary Ann's first two stories, but this one wasn't as good for me. It could be my personal circumstances. I'm STILL in temp accommodation, seven months now, and that means my usual schedule is on hold. Finding time to get totally absorbed in a book when you're alone is easy, but when you're living with a busy family isn't so simple. It may be that if I re-read this in a few months time I'll feel differently.

Maddie is lovely, as are most of the cast here, and I adored the setting, book/cafe and book club. She really brings folk together through her work and the club and I enjoyed reading about them and the issues they faced.
Maddie is still struggling a bit I felt, and with her relationship ending like that who can be surprised? Suddenly though it seems would be suitors go from an ambiguous possibility at some time in the future, to a shed load of them on her doorstep – and at the other side of her PC. Add in that she's got a fast approaching deadline for her next novel, another that's just been released and then her beloved Mossy Stone, which despite her hard work is struggling financially. Of course only her close friend knows about her book, she's written under a pen name and not told others.(Against her advice she just can't help reading reviews- I'd be like that!)
That's a lot to contend with but we see her ploughing through.

I enjoyed meeting the different characters, getting to know them, seeing them in the store, at the book club and watching for which one might prove right for Maddie. I found myself putting the book aside a few times though, having to remind myself who was whom, and how they connected. Usually with a book I love I can't put it down, engrossed in the story to the point I feel I know the characters, and certainly that was my experience with Mary Ann's first two novels.

Stars: Three and a half. A good story but I didn't enjoy it in the same way as the first two of Mary Ann's novels. As I said though, its likely me and circumstances, and perhaps a later read will change that.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

I so wanted to love this book, but I just... didn’t. The writing style is great and I was quickly caught up in the story - essentially the book follows Maddie, a struggling book store owner who was left at the altar 6 months ago and is dealing with a variety of issues in her life. It’s a quirky, cute book told strictly from Maddie’s perspective (which I didn’t love). Maddie has just written her first book, in secret, and she is starting to read reviews from ARC copies. When she gets a 3-star review, she can’t stop herself from sending a nasty email to the reviewer. They begin exchanging emails and it gets Maddie thinking about her love life and if her writing is suffering because she hasn’t truly experienced love and all that comes with it. We’re introduced to 4 different guys (in addition to the reviewer), who Maddie tries to envision a future with.

Ultimately, the book is just too scattered. I read the blurb and understood that there would be multiple suitors, but I didn’t realize that Maddie would be so indecisive. It all felt like too much - there wasn’t enough focus on one guy, and Maddie was seriously still waffling between guys more than two-thirds of the way through the book (and yeah, she kisses multiple guys that late in the book too). I can’t really say that this is a slow burn romance either, because Maddie wasn’t really burning for the guy she chooses - it was more like process of elimination. As a reader, it was obvious who she would ultimately choose, but Maddie missed A LOT of clues along the way that would’ve made her decision much easier. I will say that the guy she chooses is adorable, and there were some really sweet and romantic moments between them... they were just too few and far between. Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. While there were plenty of elements that I enjoyed, I ended the book feeling extremely frustrated with our heroine.

Although I really did enjoy this book, I thought there were too many potential suitors and would have rather eliminated one and developed the remaining options more.