My god, how has it been four years? Clearly this is far too deep into my TBR. Apologies, but glad to know this series is out there luring men into reading more romance.

Appealingly sweet. The ending is a bit abrupt, and I do wonder how the relationship will work when they are continually surrounded by Jesse's ex-girls...

I wanted to like this one more than I was able to - may or may not give Kwana Jackson another go at some point....

Honestly, how can a book titled Real Men Knit NOT be a great read. Loved this one, just a delightful and fun book. Highly recommend.

It took me quite awhile to warm up to the hero in this romance. He didn’t want to commit to much and it took him too long to get rid of the other women. He eventually turned around his attitude and it ended as a happily ever after. The switch from coworkers to lovers seemed forced and came late in the story. This was a decent romance, but I'm not sure it entirely worked for me.

RATING: 3/5 STARS

I don't knit myself but was interested to read this unique book about knitting! Sadly it did not grab my attention and I didn't gel with the writing.

I really liked the book ! The main character was liakable and I loved the plot ,I wish it was longer tho ,to enjoy it a little bit more

I recommended this book for my public library's romance book club and they loved it. We had a great time discussing it.

This was mostly quite cute and fun, but there are definitely better romances novels out there. I loved the story but it just didn’t feel polished enough for me. There wasn’t enough detail and depth to the characters.

Did not finish and therefore. I will not be reviewing on any platforms due to not finishing this book.

I will rate 1 star for the purpose of this feedback, but will not be rating this book on any social media platforms or our blog.

This book and the characters didn't grab me at all, and sadly I couldn't finish.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to review.

This didn't hit for a lot of reasons but mostly for the lack of imaginative prose. The writing was repetitive and lackluster.

I adore Kwana Jackson's writing and Real Men Knit is another example of her shining talent of building romances steeped in the reality of today's world. Family, jobs, love, loss...nothing is skipped or glossed over in the lives of her characters.

An excellent book about family and community. Can’t wait to read about the rest of the family. We talked about this one on the Book Riot When in Romance podcast. https://bookriot.com/listen/shows/when-in-romance/

DNF at 18%

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I really wanted to like this one! The concept was interesting, the cover was stellar, and the fact that men were knitting definitely piqued my curiosity. It's just not something you see every day. Unfortunately, Real Men Knit fell flat for me, and I wasn't able to finish reading it.

The conversations between characters were long and convoluted, a lot of the information was repetitive, and the writing itself was choppy and felt forced. The brothers were jerks (to each other and Kerry), and fought nonstop from the start. Jesse didn't do himself any favors by staying in his boxers even when Kerry told him to put clothes on. I don't care how long he's know her, it was inappropriate and rude. It only gets worse when he goes to comfort her (because of Mama Joy's death), and then starts thinking about how good she feels. Really? That's where your mind goes?

She made his abs "twitch" just by looking at them, and he apparently had morning wood that he did nothing to conceal. Her eyes "roamed" all over his body, but they're both trying to keep themselves from crying??? The juxtaposition was headache-inducing, and caused me to roll my eyes hard enough to hurt. None of their exchange felt realistic, and the simple conversation lasted way longer than it needed to. Saying hello should not be followed by pages of dialogue before the other person responds with their own greeting.

Basically, there was a lot of talking that wasn't beneficial to the story, the characters were unlikable (although varied based on the numerous comments about appearances and backgrounds), and the writing was hard to follow. Obviously, I didn't get very far into this one, but I struggled to get from one page to the next.

This was my first book by this author and while I definitely enjoyed it, I feel like I was expecting a little bit more (especially after all of the hype). That being said, REAL MEN KNIT is an engaging story full of heart! While I found the plot (and the romance) to be a bit lacking, I absolutely adored the characters.

Rounding up from a ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 rating.

I've received an ARC of this book and started reading it directly , the title and cover are interesting .
I didn't read the blurb, which I do with most of the advanced reading copies I receive " I read the blurb afterword , so I can have the ability to give an honest opinion about it , too ".
Real Men Knit is a story about grief and uncertainty .

Kerry lost a dear person to her heart and through the whole book , we follow her journey and struggles to adapt and figure out what she is going to do next in her life .
I really liked everything about how the characters are dealing with their grief . But, I didn't enjoy the love story " the romantic element of this bo0ok " , it was so cringy , in my opinion.

Despite this being one of my most anticipated reads this just wasn’t for me. I failed to connect to the characters and didn’t form an attachment to them

This was a great book about love, loss, and what happens to things after someone dies. Jesse and his brother have different ideas about what should happen to their mom's store and this is a great book about how that plays out.

Real Men Knit had the potential to be a really good romance, but it stumbled quite a bit. Though the book is covered in a dark cloud of Jesse's mother's recent death, Jackson manages to make this bittersweet moment and reveals the important role the shop plays in the community—especially for one boy who's being bullied—and elaborates on the value of handcrafts. I liked the character of Kerry and I thought she was a believable character who is stuck professionally and emotionally. It is clear that the store holds a lot of significance to Kerry which is why she sticks around to make sure it flourishes and not closes. Unfortunately, I thought her relationship with Jesse happened too quickly. There is lots of one one-sided pining, but I would have liked to have this relationship develop organically rather than out of convenience. There's not much chemistry between the leads even though the reader is told how much they pine for each other separately. When the book does pick up the pacing and moves the plot forward, the story is over. Kerry and Jessie's romance is rushed and left me unsatisfied. I was hoping for a stronger romance.

Mama Joy owned and operated Strong Knits, a small business in Harlem. She was the foster mother of Jesse, Noah, and Damian, and the mother-figure to Kerry, who is now an adult. When she dies, Jesse and Kerry try to keep the store running as a tribute to her. We both felt that we wanted to give this book a try, especially since it’s about a yarn store that makes us want to curl up with a few cute boys and their knitting. Kerry is tired of being the secret employee that everyone knows about her boss son. It’s time to move on. She’s also ready to start a new job at Strong Knits.

Although I’m not a knitter, I loved this concept. It’s a real place where people can come and discuss their concerns with other knitters. I love how Real Men Knit celebrated the culture of knitting. I especially loved the way Jesse and Kerry talked about how their relationship had affected them both, and how knitting had made them feel good. Although I loved the setting, it took me a while to get into this book. It’s also a character-driven read, so I wish I could have spent more time with the main characters.
Kerry is a woman who works at a community center. There were some of my favorite moments at the center, including the time when Val and her co-workers pretended to be sex starved. I felt like both Kerry and Jesse were too immature to have a real relationship. Their inability to communicate was the main reason why they were never truly happy in their relationship. Jesse is convinced that he cannot amount to anything, that he can never decide what he wants, and that he second guesses his thoughts constantly.

Jesse was a tough hero to like initially. He was insecure and had a hard time seeing himself as worthy of a relationship with Kerry. He eventually started to appreciate being in a class with other kids. One of his brothers thinks that Jesse is a bad person because he doesn't commit to any relationships. Also, Kerry and Jesse treat one of Jesse's casual partners with disdain after her expresses an interest in a more significant relationship. He was so focused on casual sex that he could barely remember the names of his sex partners.

The brothers' relationship with Kerry was also highlighted, showing how a family can support us in ways that can be damaging. I’m looking forward to the next books, because I found the other brothers more believable romantic partners. Lucas, Noah, and Jesse were all more lighthearted and fun to watch. Damian has a high-powered job and living with his roommate. I’m hoping that he gets into a passionate relationship where he knits socks for his lover. The setting was cozy and welcoming, and the characters were strong. Unfortunately, the main characters are not enough to make this a good read. Thank you, Berkley, for the gifted copy via net galley