Member Reviews
3.5 stars bc the ending was a big letdown.
this was more than i was expecting...
the summary for this book just mentions that Beverly suffered some kind of tragic event and even though you can probably guess, i was still surprised. i love Beverly with all my heart, she deserves the world and more.
It broke my heart how much Beverly struggled with the aftermath of The Incident, and dealing with it on her own. I'm so glad that she met caring, understanding Gavin and that he basically become her safe haven. They really did need each other, no matter how much Beverly tried to deny it.
There should have been a warning that this book ends in a cliffhanger. It really didn’t need to, but it did. The heroine, Beverly, had suffered a terrible accident that derailed her professionally and personally. She’s closed off from her family and from any hope of a normal, romantic life. Instead, she pours herself into the business that she’s built.
She meets up with Gavin and, immediately, they both experience instalust that, for Gavin, quickly becomes instalove. I wasn’t clear what his job really is. He’s described as a sports agent, but for some reason, he’s organizing an ad campaign for ESPN that calls for him to use the sports models that Beverly represents. I wasn’t aware that sports agents did ad campaign for major networks. And we don’t really see what either of these characters do in their professional lives. It’s mostly as if they’ve been given those job titles and a thumbnail description and the author just lost interest.
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.
Chasing Beverly by Ashlynn Cubbison, 308 pages.
Acorn Publishing, 2019. $24.
Language: R (84 swears, 1 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL.
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When business finally introduces Beverly and Gavin, both of them know that their lives -- in their companies and beyond -- have been changed. While Gavin is ready to pursue what is obviously forming between them, Beverly can’t see past her baggage and the inevitable heartbreak it will bring them both.
The story was okay. It’s an enjoyable fluff read but not something that kept me on edge needing to know what was going to happen next. As I read, I was annoyed with a lot of the chapter breaks. I can understand Cubbison purposefully interrupting things that I wanted to know more about in order to keep readers in suspense, but the problem is that she wouldn’t go back address those things until several chapters later -- if at all. I also found Gavin to be too perfect and unrealistic. Even with the cliffhanger ending and several unresolved questions, I am not going to read the sequel. The mature content rating is for sex; the violence rating is for a horrific car crash description as well as mentions of domestic violence and suicide.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
Super fun read!
It was so quick and incredibly well written!
Can’t wait to read more from the author
First of all thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of Chasing Beverly.
This story follows Beverly who is a runner and after her Olympic trials something tragic happens to her. After the tragic event she builds up all these walls and believes she will never be able to love again. Gavin Reed comes into her life unexpectedly and changes her in ways she never thought could happen. I love the strong-willed, feminist main character Beverly. She has become very successful in a "male" business world. Gavin is charming, sweet and just as successful as Beverly at a young ages as well. I definitely got Fifty Shades of Grey vibes throughout the story due to how the two met and where the book takes place. The only thing I did not like was there was a side character in the beginning that felt like they were going to influence the book later on and that didn't happen. This character was mentioned at the beginning and then disappeared. Also, I thought this was a standalone but that ending left on a serious cliff hanger.
5 Stars for this new author!
Beverly's hopes of going to the Olympics came to an end when she was in a car accident and now she can't get over the loss of her mother and boyfriend. She has locked up her heart so that she can never be hurt like that again. Gavin is all about his PR firm and one night stands ... he doesn't know what hit him the day he meets Beverly.
I was blown away by this book ... it had me reading into the wee hours of the morning just to see what happens. I found the characters very relatable ... Beverly was a broken sole and my heart hurt for her. And then there's Gavin ... who wouldn't want a handsome successful man putting you in the centre of his world? The only thing I found not believable was that Beverly owned a successful company at the age of 21. I was not expecting the ending ... at all ... and to be a cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book!
I received an early copy courtesy of Acorn Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Such a heartfelt book. I loved the story and the richness of the words. It really took you on a journey into the characters world and it was a delight to read.
Chasing Beverly is about a young girl who, after an unspeakable tragedy changes her life, is trying to move on and forgive herself. This is the story about how a man she meets challenges her to come out of the shell she has built for herself. The writing made it a bit difficult to read the book, but I feel it got much better in the second half of the book.
I enjoyed the premise of the book, but the writing, and the fact that it was essentially a cliffhanger, but was marketed as a standalone, didn't really work for me. I think maybe another edit would clean this up and perhaps finishing the story in one book rather than making it a duet/trilogy? Maybe it's a case of it's not you it's me? Not sure.
Chasing Beverly was a romantic, fast paced novel that I flew through.
It is about a woman named Beverly who because of an accident loses her chance to compete at the olympics. A few years later, she is running her own business and strikes a deal with Gavin, put together, handsome and charming. Will he be the one who breaks down her barriers?
I loved
- The pacing
- The setting (portland, oregon)
- The characters (sometimes)
I didn't love
- The writing
- The writing
- The writing
I am not someone who typically complains about writing, but it just felt very clunky to me. Some of the dialogue was just so unbelievable to me, it sounded more like robots having a conversation than two adults.
This was a strange combination of trying to break down tropes typically found in romance, and trying to be inclusive, feminist and woke but also being exactly like every romance book I have ever read. Tragic backstory, crazy exes, commitment issues, overprotective man, so much emphasis on the girl being short, tiny, petite (like come on we get it she is small can we move on).
But despite my issues, I read this super fast and for the most part enjoyed myself.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. from netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Chasing Beverly is a fast-paced heartwarming story of love, second chances, and lots of romance. The characters are well-written and relatable.with backstories that slowly unravel to help tell the story. Chasing Beverly is full of sweet romance and plenty of drama making this a lovely romance to get lost in.