Real world issues meet fluffy romantic comedy in No Judgments. I wanted to like Meg Cabot’s first full-length Little Bridge Island book. And perhaps you can make a rom com set against the backdrop of a potentially devastating hurricane work, but it doesn’t in this story. In another setting, the quirky inhabitants of Little Bridge Island would be fun to read about and I did like most of them. Plus, any animal lover would be won over by the cuteness of the pets that threaten to steal the show (toothless Gary for the win).

Bree Beckham is the star of No Judgments and unfortunately she’s also its biggest weakness. She’s moved to Little Bridge Island for a fresh start and is determined to do everything on her own. This would be great, except Bree is, well, TSTL. She lacks basic common sense, makes poor decisions, is stubborn over the most ridiculous things, and honestly would not have survived this story if not for the rest of the cast. What Bree does have going for her is a big heart and a love of animals. Her take-charge attitude when it comes to seeing to abandoned pets’ needs warmed my heart. But it’s overshadowed by her often immature attitude and stunning lack of common sense. Her love interest is Drew Hartwell, her boss’s nephew and rumored town playboy. Drew is good looking and patient, but is kind of a cardboard hero. The thing that stands out the most about him is his love of dogs and his hilarious choice of dog names. Drew and Bree’s love story was pretty standard and enjoyable, but I can’t say it pulled me in.

There’s a lot going on in No Judgments and none of it is developed well. Sexual assault, family secrets, and mother issues are all thrown in and the way each of these storylines played out was unsatisfying. The first is the most frustrating of all because it’s a very real, relatable issue that is not handled well at all. And though it’s a minor moment overall, I really struggled with Bree’s characterization of an intellectually disabled young man as “slow.” It’s 2019 and we can expect authors to do better. There are also too many convenient coincidences in this book that make suspending disbelief an almost Herculean task. And as I mentioned before, the looming presence of a possible Category 5 hurricane doesn’t go with the fluffy tone of the book. The casual attitude and the way the characters ride through the storm are so wildly different from my experience, friends’ experiences, and what I’ve seen on the news, but I will admit I’m no expert so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

The animals are the best part of No Judgments and I can’t count the number of times they made me smile. The residents of Little Bridge Island were also so warm and welcoming (even Bree’s sometimes grumpy boss, Ed) that the town won me over and in a less dramatic setting they would have been a delight. Ms. Cabot’s writing did keep the story moving along at a quick clip and the secondary characters (human and animal) were charming enough to bump it up a star. But if you’re looking for a heroine you can root for, well-developed characters and plotlines, and a consistent tone throughout the story, you should probably look elsewhere.

This one was so disappointing for me mainly because it was just overall pretty meh, and I was hoping for so much more seeing as I LIVED for Meg Cabot in middle and high school. I will admit that I don’t think I’ve read one of her books since my early college years, so maybe I’ve just outgrown her writing and this is completely a me problem rather than a book problem.

The book as a whole isn’t bad, and is actually quite fast paced with a few scenes I did enjoy. I finished it mostly in one sitting. I think the characters just weren’t overly special to me and the plot was fine, but what was advertised in the summary really didn’t take place until the last third of the book.

I read the novella introducing this new series back in March and didn’t’ find anything overly excitable about it either, so maybe this series just isn’t for me. It was cute and fluffy and fast paced, but overall nothing stood out, so it felt pretty mediocre.

Not my favorite, but I am 100 percent sure someone will love it.

*Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Let me start by saying what I liked about this book:

The setting: Little Bridge Island really comes to life through the descriptions. I found myself wanting to go there myself.

The characters: Sabrina, or Bree, is the main character. I liked her well enough, but I also found her to be a bit exasperating at the beginning. She is definitely better by the end. Drew is the other main character with whom Bree has that "will they or won't they" chemistry. I actually think I liked him more than Bree? He just seemed to be more developed, but maybe I just have a soft spot for stubborn, but loving guys?

The secondary characters: They were great and added a lot to this story. I really enjoyed their parts in the novel.

Now for what I didn't like so much.

The beginning: The first few chapters are a slow moving pace of whether or not Bree will evacuate for Category 5 Hurricane Marilyn. After she makes her decision (to stay) we are inundated with Bree and her comments such as "I'm staying, even though it's probably stupid" [paraphrasing]. I wouldn't mind so much, but I felt like that's all I read for most of the beginning.

The pacing: The beginning of this book was so slow for me. I expected more of a page turner, but found myself able to put it down for days at a time and not miss it (not a good sign for me). It does pick up towards the middle/end, though.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn't my favorite of the year, but I liked it well enough.

I was able to read this book early thanks to #NetGalley

This was a really fun book! I was immediately drawn in, and stayed that way. This was my first Meg Cabot book, but it won't be my last!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this light hearted easy to read romance. Bree the main character is frazzled and fierce. But once she confronts her past, the frazzle ends. This is a great story about overcoming the past and finally seeing talents and traits that were there all along.

I have always wondered what it would be like riding out a hurricane on a small island. Bree has elected to stay put in her new found community of Little Bridge Island with a large hurricane approaching. You get first hand account of what happens and how a the small community comes together.

Loved how Bree was such an animal lover and wanted to provide for all. Enjoyed the relationship build between Bree and Drew, friends to so much more. A cute read for the perfect season that we are in.

Two people who begin the book as enemies find common ground in pet rescue after a hurricane. If you like a romance with a slow burn and that enemies to lover trope AND you love animals; this is the book for you. The release date is during hurricane season so it feels very timely. There is a veritable pet menagerie in the book and were given enough attention to really come to life through Meg Cabot's narrative. An entertaining read that also explores sexual assault, distress from a DNA reveal and dealing with the aftermath of a disaster. Some of the resolutions seemed a bit forces while others were very satisfying.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A huge Hurricane is about to hit the small Florida Island of Little Bridge. Sabrina “Bree” Beckham decides not to evacuate as well as some of the locals, Including Drew, the nephew of her boss at The Mermaid Cafe. Bree wasn’t worried… at first. Until the storm started sending crashing waves into her love life.

The massive hurricane cuts all cell service and power to the island. That means Bree will no longer be bombarded with texts from her celebrity mother, or her emotionally abusive ex who keep trying to get her to leave the island.

But Bree becomes alarmed when she realizes how many beloved pets have been left behind by locals who have evacuated, and makes it her mission to feed every single one of them. But she can’t do it alone, so she has no choice but to let Drew, the sexy heartbreaker, ride on the back of her moped around the island.

But soon the power is back on, and her ex shows up. Bree must decide if her stormy fling with Drew can last during clearer skies too.

I grew up reading Meg Cabot books so I was super excited to be able to get my hands on this one! I read it in one sitting! I love the idea of the locals having a “Hurricane Party” and coming together as a community to weather the storm together. This is a fairly easy, and quick read with some mild steamy content! I really liked Bree. She was determined to make her own way and get a fresh start after some traumas in her life left her at a standstill. Drew was also a cocky confident guy but he was sweet to Bree.And he also had a bunch of dogs, who couldn’t love that! My favorite though was Bree’s cat Gary!

Thank you to @williammorrowpaperbacks / @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Available September 24th!

NetGalley provided me an ebook for an honest review, thank you!

This book takes place before, during and after a hurricane at a small town on the East Coast. The main character, Sabrina, moved there after going through a few different struggles in her life--she has started her new one and refuses to let a hurricane make her fall back into old habits and comforts that she's moved on from. This story is about new love and discovering who you really are as a person.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book--I haven't read a book that takes place during a hurricane, let alone a contemporary "romance." I kind of wish there were more to the story during the hurricane. It seemed the lead up to the hurricane was great but then it was over pretty quick. This kind of reminds me of the romance between Sabrina and her new love interest, Drew. A lot of teasing and antagonizing each other, but once they finally have a steamy scene, it was quick and disappointing. I was hoping for some more.

There were moments in the middle that were slow but once I was close to the end, I really enjoyed seeing Sabrina facing her fears and becoming her own person. I am relieved that the author didn't have her rely so much on her love interest to become the strong woman that she always has been even though Drew tries to be the Prince Charming coming to her rescue; she wouldn't allow it.

Rounded up to 4 (3.75/5)

This book was great! While it was a little much and a little unbelievable a couple times it was a great rom com read and I sat and read it all in one day. I just wanted to know more about the characters and couldn’t stop!

I found this story really really cute! It made me giggle and shriek at times 🙊🙉 I loved Bree as a character! I thought she was funny and a bit hot headed. I also loved the romance! ⁣
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This book does have it's flaws though. It is a bit info dumpy at the begining and the characters are not well developed. I didn't mind this though because I got engulfed in the cute 😆😆⁣
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One thing I did mind was the over the top plot. At points I found myself shaking my head because it was so unbelievable. 🙄 This really happened in the last 10% of the book. It was just a little too much and a little too unbelievable for me.
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Overall though I did enjoy this and do recommend! I feel like this is perfect for those who need something light and fun after reading something serious or to help someone out of a reading slump! ⁣I also highly recommend for those who are animal lovers! Let's just say one of the stars of this book is Gary, Bree's cat who acts just like you would think a cat named Gary would! I love him! 🐈🐱😻⁣

I will definitely be checking out more from Meg Cabot and will continue on with this series when more come out!
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This is your typical romance novel. I enjoyed it, but I often found myself skipping pages because it felt like filler between the core of the plot. The main plot is a new take on the typical romance storyline, and it's done very well. It's cute and easy to read, and it's exactly what you would expect from a contemporary romance novel.

This book wasn’t for me. It was too far fetched and too much fluff. I was hoping for a cute, quirky story but unfortunately this didn’t work.
Thanks to netgalley for the free advance copy

Sometimes you just need a cute and fast contemporary novel to pull you out of your reading slump or to follow up a hard-hitter novel and that's what No Judgements was for me. I'm so glad my wish was granted and that I was offered access to an advanced copy of this book even though the publisher was no longer taking requests. It was everything I needed in an adult book by Meg Cabot to be and more. And I just found out there will be a Little Bridge series so I'm pretty excited!

When we first meet Bree she's just recently started over in the town of Little Bridge and is running away from quite a few things it sounds like. She's working at the local Mermaid Cafe and secretly painting in her free time. It seems like she has transitioned well and made a ton of friends for someone only being in town for a short three months. Because her life is a bit of a mess due to starting over she decides she needs to figure some things out on her own and go on a boy-fast. Fair enough we've all been there. Enter the hottie nephew of her boss who is the talk of he town due to him leaving his truck parked all over town at a different house every night. While nice to eye at the cafe sometimes she doesn't need another playboy, especially one that gets under her skin. To bad he seems to be popping up everywhere and doing little things that make Bree's heart sputter. Top all this off with an incoming hurricane and she stubbornly refuses to evacuate for due to her cat Gary being in poor health and Bree might have bite off a bit more than she bargained for with Little Bridge.

Bree was a fun character to be inside the head of. She was SOOO stubborn, but like same so I couldn't fault her. Plus if she had packed up and left like most people had the sense to do we wouldn't have had the story we did. Her love of animals was apparent, especially with sweet baby Gary. While she is toting a ton of baggage from her past, it never seemed to get her down and she was always looking on the brighter side of things. Her commentary on things happening during the storm was hilarious, especially when she and Drew played off each other. Her interactions with the animals she saved/took care of was so sweet and genuine. None of that felt forced but true to her character.

Drew and Bree together were hilarious. They played so well off of each other and while it may not have been insta-love things seemed to go pretty fast. One day Drew goes from the hottie nephew of her boss that ignores her presence but tips well to all of a sudden caring about where she's taking shelter for the storm. He was a bit mysterious and while a couple mysteries about him were explained, I was left wanting to know a little bit more about him. Maybe we'll get to see more of him and Bree in the next book.

The end was super weird and where it lost a start for me. There was a scene at the end that felt like it was written for a different book that had Bree acting super weird. I didn't like it and while it didn't ruin the book for me I could see how it might for others. After that scene everything felt a tad rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the book. The epilogue is where things got back to normal though and I thought it wrapped things up perfectly.

Overall this was a pretty good novel by Meg Cabot. Her novels can be a tad hit or miss with me, but this was definitely a hit. I hope the rest of this series goes just as well and I can't wait to see who else's stories we'll be getting.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for providing me with an earc in exchange for an honest review. Bree is a Florida Keys transplant who moved to town and is working at a diner to work through the trauma of a sexual assault. After a hurricane rips through the Keys, Bree (who decided not to evacuate) makes it her mission to feed the animals left behind. I love Meg Cabot’s work and was particularly excited to read this romantic comedy. Bree’s character and emotional journey were well fleshed out and the most compelling part of the book. I think the handling of her trauma was done well and the cameo’s from Bree’s mother were particularly memorable. Overall I enjoyed it, but I did not personally feel much of a connection between the two leads, perhaps because they had little interaction until the final third or the book. I was also hoping the book would take more advantage of the tropey plot. So 4 stars for characters/writing-and 3 for the romance from me.

Iiii have never read a Meg Cabot book. I know, I know. Shame on me. And I'm so happy I read this!
I admit reading this in the middle of hurricane season did kind of make me go eh especially when I know people are suffering and I still feel gross about it...
I did genuinely enjoy this book. It was funny and had the cute, comedic romance that I much needed at the moment. There is a reason why Meg Cabot is a powerhouse at what she does. She does it well.

No Judgements
Meg Cabot
2 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the chance to read and review this book.

From Amazon:
“When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.
But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.
But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.”

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I’m a flatlander and I have no idea what being in a hurricane is like, plus there is animal rescue (be still my heart), so I was super excited to start this one. I was left feeling like I was missing out on something.

The hurricane was kind of a speck on the radar. There was a lot of build up to (the first half of the book) everyone evacuating or prepping, and then Bree slept through the worst of it. Bummer. Then we went into cleanup mode. This is where the animal rescue comes in and Bree dealing with her ex and her mother. The romance storyline was a typical one. Guy and girl can’t stand each other, make fun of each other, and then a kiss changes everything. There are only so many ways to bring couples together and I did really enjoy the banter between the Bree and Drew. It felt real and authentic to how many relationships start.

The last fourth of the book quickly wrapped everything up. We went from a slow build up, to wham, everything happens at once, and the end.

To be fair, this is the first book I have read by Meg Cabot so this may be her writing style and I may just be missing out on something. I did enjoy the “island life” feel she describes and the sense of community in the aftermath of devastation.

This book is an easy weekend, romantic, feel-good read and I look forward to trying another one from her.

There’s a huge hurricane headed towards Little Bridge Island and Sabrina “Bree” Beckham decides to ride out the storm instead of evacuating. After the hurricane is over she learns how many people left behind their pets. She decides it’s up to her to check on all of them and make sure they are safe. But she’s not doing this alone, even though she’d prefer to. She gets help from Drew Hartwell, her boss’ cute contractor nephew who is just as big an animal lover as she is.

This was a really cute story! As an animal lover myself I was stressed thinking about all the pets that were left behind in the hurricane (always take them with you!!) Luckily there was Bree who was happy and willing to check on all of them. I enjoyed Bree and Drew’s relationship and the fact that there were so many animals intertwined in it. Gary (Bree’s cat) was one of my favorite characters and I loved everything about him. Drew’s dogs were fantastic too! I also loved Little Bridge Island and its residents. There were a lot of fun side characters that I enjoyed, as well as fun banter between everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meg Cabot is one of those authors that I will pick up always. Sometimes I fall in love with her books, sometimes not. No judgements fell into the middle for me.

This book follows Sabrina “Bree” and Drew as the main character but there are quite a few supporting characters along the way. Drew’s family, locals to Little Bird, Sabrina’s mom, ex boyfriend Caleb, and Caleb’s best friend Kyle. Sometimes with all the characters, it was a bit much. They were easily remembered but fell flat as lack of detail/ solid integration into the main story line.
The main story line is that the characters live on Little Bird island and a hurricane is approaching. Bree decides that she will not evacuate. The subplot to the book is that Bree has a hate to love romance with Drew that develops as they go out after the hurricane has passed to help with animals that were left behind when the owners evacuated and could not get back to the island because the bridge was taken out in the storm.

I think that if Cabot has focused on the sub plot romance, this book would have been exactly what I wanted.
The hurricane emergency lists/ and advice/facts that each chapter began with didn’t bother me as much as they would bother individuals who have been through multiple hurricanes but as the book went on, I did skip reading those.

Overall, I adore Meg Cabot’s writing style, and her main character development, so this book was enjoyable and I would recommend it as a fun and quick read.

This was my first Meg Cabot book and I really enjoyed this book.
A hurricane is headed straight for Little Bridge Island and Bree has no intention to leaves no matter who tries to persuade her.
After the hurricane hits she finds herself helping residents who fled without their pets. Making sure the animals are fed and safe all with the help of Drew, her boss' nephew. Before she knows it she finds herself attracted to him.
This book was just sweet.