Can we all take a second to jump up and down that Melissa Brayden has a new book out? You can stay seated but know, I jumped up and down with excitement and glee. The books Brayden writes just bring me so much happiness and joy. I live for her stories, her amazing characters, and their witty dialogue. Back to September does not let me down. What a wonderful book!

Hannah Shephard’s book store is in trouble. It’s in the red and even though it’s in an amazing location in Providence, it just does not have enough foot traffic to keep the lights on much longer. Hannah is a bit of a loner. She keeps to herself and her circle of friends, while amazing is very small. She likes it that way, she enjoys her solitude and thinks other than that her business woes life is perfect just the way it is. Luna, a friend/employee talks her boss into taking a chance on romance.

Parker Bristow is the queen of romance. Her books are best sellers and she has become a superstar in Hollywood. She is known for her books, her looks, and her on-screen personality. Parker’s people book her a book signing at A Likely Story, Hannah’s shop. The rest is history!

Out two mains hit it off right from the first meeting. They just have that chemistry, they know it and you as the reader can just feel it jumping right of the page. One problem, they don’t live in the same towns or move in the same circles. Time and distance keep pulling these two apart. You follow their journey navigating fears and self-doubt. No doubt you will feel emotionally tied to these two. Brayden writes in such a way you as the reader feel their struggles and share in their joy.

Back to September is a delightful story, with a lot of a bit of heart and a little bit of heartache. As always, anything by Melissa Brayden is worth reading, and this is one is no exception. As always I am excited about the next one!

I think I would have enjoyed Back to September more as a movie. It was a really cute story but I'm finding it difficult for contemporary books to hold my interest lately. Regardless of my personal preferences/experience I recommend picking this book up and maybe we'll get that movie one day! 😉

5 Stars – Brayden is Back in Back to September!

For whatever reason and I can’t remember specifically why - I couldn’t get into Brayden’s Seven Shores series. For the most part I loved her previous books. The first book of the series, "Eyes like Those" I stopped and started but I couldn’t finish. I even tried the audiobook. I was so disappointed; I didn’t pick up any of her new books. Therefore, I haven’t read a new Brayden in quite a while.

This book came up on my Netgalley list and I decided to give it a shot. Brayden is Back in Back to September! I was so happy because I could not put it down.

Hannah Shephard owns a small bookshop in Providence, RI, just a couple of blocks from the main drag. An ideal location. She did well the first few years, but now the bookshop is in trouble. She has two longtime part time employees, Luna and Kurt. They are loyal to Hanna and love working there, despite the minimal pay. Luna convinces Hannah to request THE best-selling romance author, Parker Bristow to stop by for a book signing during her tour.. In truth, Hannah admits she is a book snob. She doesn’t understand how people can love the whole romance genre. But they sell a lot and to her surprise, Parker agrees to visit her store. Needless to say, the book signing brings in a large crowd of book buyers and even a local TV news crew. Parker is not just an author, but a celebrity with a large twitter following and a media darling. Hannah is impressed that Parker is as kind as she is beautiful.

This is told in Hannah’s point of view. I think it was very effective to really get to know Hannah and yet Parker is sometimes a bit of a mystery. Or in other words, you sometimes you just want to ask Parker “What the hell were you thinking?”

I loved all the characters. You want to be in Hannah’s small circle of friends and I suppose you are when you read this book. I want Hannah or Lola to match me with my perfect book(s). You’ll probably disagree, but Hannah and her sister, Bo reminded me of the relationship of the TV series sisters Kara/Supergirl and Alex. (This stuff pops into your (my) head when you are sleep deprived).

Hannah’s Perfect Match also reminded me of my favorite Podcast – Modern Mrs. Darcy’s “What Should I read Next? Anne Bogel asks a reader every week, what are 3 books they loved and one book they “didn’t” and she will give them recommendations. Granted I don’t read the majority of the books they discuss but I just enjoy listening to book lovers talk books. https://modernmrsdarcy.com/what-should-i-read-next/

Another side note - Sad news. One of my favorite independent bookstores is very close to shutting down if they don't find a buyer ASAP. It's called Mysterious Galaxy and it specializes in Mysteries and SciFi/Fantasy/Paranormal etc. They would get some big name author signings. Many times because they supported authors early in their careers and they remained loyal.

My one quibble – I don’t understand the cover. The book title is clever, but the book cover? Where I live when I think of September, I think HOT, sweltering heat. Not knit hats. Or maybe she is remembering the last September in mid winter? Whatever, read this book next.

Reading a Melissa Brayden book is like hanging out with your best friend from college while you watch Fleabag and eat ice cream on the couch: delicious comfort.

This is the story of Hannah, a struggling bookshop owner and introvert who lives in Providence. Enter Parker Bristow, world-famous romance novelist, and internet personality. When Parker comes to Hannah's shop for a signing she becomes a catalyst for big changes for Hannah's store and her life. What follows is an excellent push-and-pull romance full of angst, heartache, twists, and tenderness.

When I started reading this book, I wasn't pulled in immediately. I found the main character, Hannah, a little too much like a Disney princess, and some of the early supporting characters also bothered me. It is a true testament to Melissa Brayden that by 70% into this book every character had won me over.

My initial hesitation about how quickly the story seemed to move at first faded away once I got further into the story--it was obvious that events had to happen at that pace to set up the rest of the novel. Masterful.

Wow.. This book!! I have never seen Melissa Brayden bring the angst on as she did in this one. And so so sexy. The chemistry between Hannah and Parker was off the chart from the 1st time they met at Hanna’s bookstore, A Likely Story. Hannah’s store is in trouble. Luna, her employee, suggested to have a book signing to get more traffic. Hannah doesn’t read romance novels but Parker Bristow a romance writer with a new book out is doing book signings, so she signs up for it. Enter Parker. Beautiful, engaging and totally down to earth. They go out after the signing and sparks fly. You never see a sex scene so early in a Brayden book. And it was hot! I remember listening to Melissa talk on a panel at Clexa-Con. She was saying that she was writing a book where the MC’s “get to it right away”. Yep, it was this book. I think this is Melissa Brayden’s best book ever.

A famous romance author does a book signing at a quaint, cozy shop in Providence, RI. Mega fireworks ignite between the celebrity and the down to earth store owner. There’s plenty of steam and good banter that’ll leave you grinning. Back and forth angst. Just enough humor to keep it from getting heavy.

Save this one for when you’re feeling down or out of sorts because it’s warm breezes and sunshine most of the way. Not to say it’s all fluff because Brayden is a class A wordsmith who can write memorable characters and tight passages as well as anybody. Expect a good cry because that always makes the HEA that much sweeter. I have the advantage of only having read three Brayden books so her writing is still new to me and it’s bliss.

Another in a long line of wonderful stories. This author does not disappoint. You will fall in love with the characters and the whole world provided to you.

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a honest review' So to start off, Melissa Brayden is probably my number one Author and I have read pretty much every book she has done. That being said , this is another stellar read that I found hard to put down. I did have a couple issues being the first person style of writing as I would have liked to have had a better idea of what was going through the second leads mind at times. I think the story was well thought out and even though most know the way things go in these kinds of books the author threw a couple curve balls to mix things up. Another great read I highly recommend it and I look forward to her next book "To the Moon and Back" due out too far in the future.

Brayden does it again with this earnest romance between a bookstore owner and an author of a genre that she doesn't read. It all started one day for Hannah Shepard when her shop assistant insists that she put romance superstar Parker Bristow's new book on her shop's one display area. Then she finds out that Bristow is doing a book tour, and in an attempt to help her failing shop, books her. What she wasn't quite ready for was Parker's down to earth personality that is at complete odds with the persona presented to the world. They begin an easy friendship that has Hannah trying new things, and Parker showing up in unexpected places, and the potential for more.

What I enjoy most about the two Brayden books I have read is that while the answer may seem simple - Parker and Hannah have connected and care about each other deeply - the journey to get them to a place where they can actually commit to each other is tough and full of roadblocks. Both Hannah and Parker are flawed people, and they show it in unexpected places, yet those emotional pieces are well earned and don't feel sudden. Also, the story is told entirely through Hannah's point of view, so there were some funny asides that gave the story that extra amount of depth.

Brayden fans will most likely rejoice, as she seems to have done it again with this novel, and romance readers will enjoy the earnest romance, with lovely characters, romantic gestures, and some great dramatic beats. Highly recommended.

When I first started reading Back to September I had a first impression of the book as a fluffy romance with a nice setting in a book store similiar to You've Got Mail but with lesbian characters. But part way through the book my impression changed to that of a book and characters with much more substance. The last third of the book was especially impactful with the will they/won't they get together for the long term and the reasons that were holding Parker back. The chemistry between Parker and Hannah was immediate and something they never experienced with another person. The dialogue was witty and the use of characters such as pop star Carissa was inspired.

I would recommend this book to other readers, but don't give up after the first third of the book. The substance of the book, along with the angst, and hot love scenes improves incredibly after that point.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Shephard is a bookshop owner who loves her uncomplicated and risk-averse life. Her bookstore is having issues and she might be forced to close it for good. When she invites world-renowned author romance novelist Parker Bristow her luck is about to change. But what isn’t in her plans is their mutual attraction and chemistry which leads to a shared evening and the possibility of more…

You cannot go wrong with Melissa Brayden’s books. They all do what it says on the tin, they will provide you with romance, hotness, and entertainment. Well-written dialogues, funny banter and off-the-charts chemistry are guaranteed in her novels. Consistently you get what you are looking for, it never fails. No wonder she is one of the top lesfic authors.

Both main characters are well developed and credible, in many ways they are opposites, but they share a common love of literature. I liked the premise that the mains didn’t agree on the genre of books they enjoyed, there was a good discussion regarding the value of romance books and their authenticity in the portrayal of love. I especially liked the way Hannah talks about matching a book to a reader, that’s exactly the tagline of LezReviewBooks.com website: ‘Find your lesbian book match’, I swear we didn’t copy each other!

The secondary characters were well written and distinctive, some of them with funny little quirks that bring them to life. A very good secondary character is Hannah’s step-sister Bo, I particularly enjoyed the parallel story with her own love interest and how both sisters dealt with relationship conflicts. Another great secondary character is pop star Carissa who is very funny in an infuriating way. She’s the protagonist of a hilarious scene that will stay in my memory for a long time, this is the first time Ms. Brayden had me laughing out loud, I really liked it, she should try it more.

The rest is pure Brayden style: hot chemistry, scorching sex scenes, a bit of angst and romance galore. ‘Back to September’ won’t disappoint her fans.

Overall, a very entertaining, lesbian romantic book. 4.5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

Four stars for my very first Melissa Brayden book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and flew through it with in a day.
This year I’ve been reading a lot more of the lesfic romance and have to say that Back to September has been one of my favourites.

I am very impressed with Braydens style of writing and how she was able to immerse the reader into the love story that is Hannah and Parker. There was a form of insta love between the two but that didn’t really matter because it was so sweet and perfect to who they are as characters.

Although Hannah is a great main character, I do have to say that I liked Parker just that little bit more. I had a definite soft spot for her.

Definitely an enjoyable read that I recommend if you are a fan of lesfic romance.

This was a fantastic "love finds a way" type story. I enjoyed seeing the relationship blossom early an progress over time. It kept me engaged the whole way through.

The characters are well written and interesting. I even liked the side characters a great deal. They had a lot of personality. The main characters worked well together.

First book of Melissa Brayden which i DNF. I usually enjoy her book. I prefer to read books with 2 characters views. I know it weird 😂

Okay, so I absolutely adored Beautiful Dreamer and was stoked to read Ms Brayden's newest book.   I was expecting a wonderfully sweet and endearing slow burn romance with engaging characters, witty banter, small town shenanigans, Henley shirts - hell I was expecting  sunshine and unicorns.  What I got was ...angst.  Gloriously heart-wrenching angst.  The highs were euphoric and the lows were devastating.  At points I had to put the book down and take a calming breath as the story unfolded.

Hannah Shepherd an independent bookstore owner who is struggling to keep her business afloat.  When she has the opportunity to host a book signing by one of the top romance writers, she jumps at the chance to bring more clients despite the fact that she's a bit of a book snob who's never read a romance.  Enter Parker Bristow, bestselling novelist, internet influencer and darling of the talk show circuit.  Despite her fame, Parker is down-to-earth and charming.  An easy rapport develops as she invites Hannah for dinner.  There's a phenomenal chemistry between the two - physically and intellectually - and their attraction quickly escalates.

This is an on and off again romance - which totally cranks up the angst-o-meter.  As a reader, you know that they belong together and the more they are apart the higher the frustration - dating other people or stupid insecurities just make you want to throttle them both.  Call me a book nerd, but I found the scene where the two of them are relaxing on the couch reading their books almost as hot as the sex that happens soon after.  So often romances are all about the physical attraction and there's not much time for talking or spending time outside the bedroom. The level of comfort and compatibility  between Hannah and Parker just amps up the raw physical attraction that the two share.

The story is told from Hannah's first person POV and you get a front row seat to the gamut of emotions she experiences.  Considering herself staid and boring - she's resolved to settle for a relationship based on friendship.  With Parker,  she's swept up in the intensity of the  attraction and the brightly burning, all encompassing passion.   Parker is bewildering and addictive - and despite the pain and betrayal Hannah's unable to resist the pull of the depth of her feelings for her.

After I read Back to September I was pretty much wrecked and had to take a few days to formulate my thoughts for my review. Once the angsty high that had completely sucked me into the book wore off, I began to have some misgivings with Parker and her actions.   If  I had been a character in the book, I probably would have offered to knock Parker around on Hannah's behalf.  Okay, I probably would have given her a really stern glare - while her back was turned - and surreptitiously played "You're No Good" on constant repeat in the bookstore.  I've gone back and forth on this - and what I've settled on is that Ms. Brayden is a talented writer who is able to completely bewitch her readers.  On paper, Parker's actions were cowardly and callous and put Hannah through hell; but,  in Ms. Brayden's book, it freaking worked.

Postscript: I haven't read a lot of Ms. Brayden's novels, but I did notice that a plot device used (twice) in Beautiful Dreamers was used in this book as well - I'm hoping that this is coincidence and not a signature plot device as its a pretty heavy handed way to get the MCs back together.

Definitely Recommended

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok... I’m going to be the outlier here, because a quick glance at the reviews shows me that people loved this.... and I did not. In fact, it was almost a DNF, and I never thought I’d say that about a Brayden book.

This was my final ARC from last month, I usually leave Brayden’s books til last since she can be counted on for a sweet, lovely romance. This was, well, not quite that. I can’t say why I didn’t like this book without majorly spoiling it, so a general review appears below and then the more detailed stuff appears under the tag.

So, first things first, MC Hannah owns a bookstore, has an eclectic band of part time workers, a loving step-sister and is sweet as pie. MC Parker is a romance novelist who stops in to do a book signing. The two hit it off right away, and hook up not long after. This was the first surprise, because what I like about Brayden books is we usually get the nice build up to the romance, and this seemed very quick. What happens after this made me dislike Parker and pretty much everything that happened from that point on made me dislike her more. Brayden attempts to make her a more sympathetic character by giving her a cliched bad childhood but... nope. I pretty much just thought she was an ass the whole way through.

I read some of the other reviews and saw they loved the romance, and while there is chemistry between the leads (complete with cute banter) and they definitely clicked, Parker’s treatment of Hannah (in multiple crappy ways) was just... unforgivable. I also thought the ‘drama’ that lead to them reconciling was ridiculous, no one as ‘plugged in’ as Parker wouldn’t realise that doing that wouldn’t upset people who cared about her.

Hannah was delightful, except for her terrible habit of forgiving Parker for truly shitty things. I wish she had stuck to her guns and not let Parker back in. I did not want them to end up together and this is the first time I finished a Brayden novel where I didn’t care about the HEA. I’m giving this 3 stars only because it’s a Melissa Brayden book and because the scenes where they are together were pure Brayden, but there was too much other stuff for me to sink in to this.

<spoiler> Can’t say as I thought Parker hookng up with Hannah, then dropping her cold, getting another girlfriend and then ringing Hannah months later and saying, ‘oh.. I’d like to be your friend’ was all that romantic. Hannah should have hung up. One of my least favourite tropes is watching two MCs date other people before getting together, it was worse here because they’d already BEEN together, and neither girlfriend was interesting but Parker’s was vapid and obnoxious (and really made her look shallow and stupid by extension). Parker then inviting Hannah on a double couples trip and proceeding to have sex with her girlfriend in the room next to Hannah’s, knowing she’d likely hear that, was just... seriously, I don’t have words for how gross that was. I almost put the book down then.

I wasn’t blown away by the reconciliation, but was willing to hang in there, I figured there’d be some Brayden magic to wash this stuff away, but no... instead we get treated to Parker just leaving Hannah in the hospital after a terrible trauma (and no, what she later revealed did not make that in any way better). I seriously could not believe Hannah would even want to get back with her and it made me think less of her, which annoyed me, because I loved Hannah and she deserved better. Nothing that happened at the end of the book redeemed Parker to me.
</spoiler>

Wow, this book was a rollercoaster ride, but I loved every minute of it. Hannah and Parker met when Parker came to do a book signing at Hannah's book store. Thank goodness she did because not only did that signing help to save Hannah's store, but it also changed both of their lives for the better. While their road to happiness was filled with many hills, bumps, twists, and turns, this reader happily went along for the ride. The supporting characters (Hannah's employees and her sister) were fantastic and really added to the plot. Hannah and Parker were excellent main characters who were very relatable. I don't want to give anything away with this review, so I will end by saying that this book is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend it!

This was different from what I was expecting. It contains some of the sass that I was looking for in a Melissa Brayden book, but it’s not as sassy as her usual fare. It’s kind of more realistic than a standard romance, whilst still containing the “what are the odds” plot devices. At first I thought it was a bit flat, but I think that was just me getting my head round the difference between my expectations and the actual book I was reading. Parts of the plot are obvious so there’s no elements of surprise, but it has warmth and that kindles a little glow in the heart. The relationship between the sisters is where I smiled the most; the love there was palpable. Also the first line made me so happy, because yes that’s how I feel about my books. Overall, a mature romance.

I went into this book with a bit of guilt, strangely enough. I'd scored big time by getting an ARC midway into October, but then life just knocked me over and I didn't want that kind of stress affecting my reading experience. So, here I am in November, finally finished and I'm glad I'd waited.

This, this right here, is a very lovely book. It gave me the feels, which is exactly what Melissa Brayden was put on this planet to do for us wlw readers. And I'll be honest: I really avoid first-person books 95% of the time. Even Back to September, a superb story, probably would've been even better in third person, where we could delve a bit more into Parker's psyche and how her past affected her current relationships.

Let me backtrack: though first-person narratives aren't my taste, Brayden knocked this out of the park as far as my expectations go. I view first-person like the main character never shutting up and Brayden's characters, well...never shut up, so I was a bit worried. Thankfully, I fell into step pretty seamlessly, as Hannah's character and her world were quite interesting.

I loved the setting of a bookstore. It's so comforting and familiar. Though I'm a Kindle-reader, I still frequent bookstores sometimes out of relaxation. It's cool to see what's popular or what authors I should keep an eye on. Plus, the covers and variation and pictures and—well, here I go gushing about books when I should be gushing over this story, haha.

Once Parker walked into the room and her and Hannah's eyes met, I was absolutely down for this romance. Wow, wow, wow I couldn't get enough of their interactions. Is...is Brayden usually this spicy, too? I felt like I got more than her usual share of (HOT!) sex scenes and I'm not complaining! Well done.

It also seems like Brayden mixed it up a bit in her approach, which I really appreciated. It allowed me to trust her (let's be real, I usually trust her) to guide me through a delicious love story. I'm already a sucker for celebrity girl-meets-girl romances, anyways. And I went into this book without even reading the blurb. I just knew I had to have it.

Per usual, I have a few Brayden-centric nitpicks. A certain lack of voice variation: there were a few instances where very different characters used the same distinct words, but not enough to bother me this time around. I'm also seeing her continued affinity for blonde-haired characters. The pop star character felt a little cliché; I wish she'd had more layers so that I would've viewed her as at least a small threat.

The ending drama and angst...hmm, were they resolved well? I think so. Were they resolved a little too quickly/neatly? Yeah, probably. I'll let it slide, but I was still kind of angry at the character who effed up as they were already making up. I don't like when that happens.

Still, this is so freaking romantic. It made me so giddy. Be giddy with me, too, and read this, people!

I'm sad because I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I think it just wasn't for me. This is going to be spoilery but I would have preferred if at the end Hannah and Parker didn't end up back together. This was a strong impression at the end but during the whole book I was waiting to ship them and that just didn't happen. When I read a romance story and don't end up shipping the main couple, I'm probably not gonna like the book very much. There were instant attraction from both of them but except for that not really much??? I liked them better when they were friends.

If we wanted to sympathise and forget Parker at the end like Hannah did, we needed to have more of her backstory and not just a few glimpses at one point.

I did like the fact that Hannah owns a bookstore and seeing her take care of it. Books about books are always something that'll interested me.