This book is a good fit for readers looking for a heartwarming story about finding love and connection in unexpected places during the quiet, snowy winter months.

Snowed in is a cute wintery romance set in Maine. The story centers around the romance between Ella and Ben. Ella is from Maine, and Ben escaped to Maine after a devastating circumstance that killed one of his family members that could also jeopardize his own life.

The story gave me all of the good feels. The book also covered many mental health topics. The relationship between Ella and Ben was full of warmth and love. I loved how Ella supported Ben and was the bright light in his life. I also loved that Ella was very thoughtful and self aware about dealing with everything. My only issue with the book was that it switched rapidly from a light cute romance to something more serious. I think that there should have been more balance between the two. Overall it was still a good read if you want a cute romance with snow and dogs (doggos!) that also covers some mental health problems.

Thank you to NetGallery and to the author, Navessa Allen for giving me a copy of the book.

I received this book from Netgalley. This book is very descriptive so it's easy to imagine what's happening. I have a visual mind so I have to be able to imagine everything while I'm reading. I really enjoy books that are told from the perspective of different characters because I think you get to know them a whole lot better.

Ben is a wonderful character. I really love everything about him. He is written wonderfully. He's really mature about his entire situation and about taking the time that he needs. While I liked Ella, there was something about her that I wasn't crazy about. However, she was a decent character and I really like how she did so much research and worked so much to help Ben.

I do feel like something was lacking in this book. I can't quite put my finger on it but I wish we got to have more of Ella and Ben together just hanging out after they started their relationship. Just so we could see more non intimate interactions.

I started by I didn’t finish it. I was having a hard time connecting with the characters. Maybe I’ll try to read it again. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This was a really good story! It had snow, fun and a sweet romance! I would love to read more by this author. and will be on the lookout for more by her.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Varies and interesting characters with differing backgrounds meet and, of course, turn out to be just what each other needs, plus dogs. What's not to like? I usually enjoy romances with a sports player hero, and this one had quite the perspective on that.

This was a decent read. It was light and quick to read. The characters were likable and the overall plot was good. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This was a very interesting read. There were many highs, some very low lows and a whole lot of information that kept my interest throughout the book. This book was not only a love story but brought to light many serious issues, especially depression, anxiety, sports related injuries.

At first reading the title I thought I was going to get some happy go lucky romance about a couple who didn't know each other and just got snowed in together, let's just say that's not what happened at all. There was a budding friendship that blossomed into something beautiful between two people. There was a lot of snow mentioned but no one really got snowed in persay. There were also dogs and cuteness involved. I'm not much of a dog person but even I could appreciate white fluffy puppies running around.

Regardless, this book was more on the serious side of things and was not insta anything. I really enjoyed it, even though it got rough in the end I get it because life isn't always a piece of cake. I enjoyed the opportunity to experience the different feelings I experienced throughout this book.

Overall this was a great read, a little heavy at times but sometimes things get heavy. Loved the setting, especially the epilogue. The characters were interesting and the family was also great. The issues were real and definitely a great read.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I am very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. I really detest winter/Christmas/SNOW novels because that time of the year really depresses me and makes me cold and angry, so I tend to stay away from these kinds of novels. But this novel was so much MORE than just winter and cold. The amount of mental dilemma's that these characters went through was excruciating and exhausting and really a pretty serious novel in the end.

The thing I loved MOST about this novel? The dogs, lmao. I'm a dog person, and from what I can tell, I'm sure the author is a dog person because no one can accurately explain and describe living with a dog like Navessa Allen did unless you absolutely love dogs and know everything about them. Willow was my second favorite - especially when she threw the poopsicles bahahahahaha!!!!

But in seriousness, this was a fantastic novel that made me feel all of the feels and really got in depth in the very serious issues in this novel. I'm really glad I finally got around to reading this (because obviously it is not an ADVANCED eBook now) and I may have to look for more by this author!

I loved this book, it was freaking adorable. It had snow, romance, and even had some discussions on mental health! My only problem was the mood shift from chapter 16.

Not the sweet wholemeal hallmark style romance I wanted. I bit more lifestyle movie with mild swearing and not great characters. Not for me.

I found this book to be a slow read for me and I thought it would be a fun light-hearted read turned into a book that dealt with depression, brain injuries, racism, and politics. All of which I really was not want something I was ready for in a romance book. I was really looking forward to a light read.

This was a complete description request! I'm all in for emotional and sappy romances so I was all over this one but there was too much thrown in with the romance that it turned me off. The depression, brain related injuries, politics, religion, etc., just made a story I thought would be light and airy into somewhat of a downer, The positives for me were definitely the dates Ella and Ben go on as they gave me that swoony feeling I was hoping for!

I loved this book, the diversity in characters and the iconic lead male role was something to look forward too! The plot was refreshing and not your typical run of the mill plot. 10/10!

"Snowed In" is an enlightening, sweet, contemporary romance novel by Navessa Allen, set in the picturesque Aroostook county located in Maine. The book discusses loss, love, mental issues, and diverse family dynamics.

The quirky graphic artist turned online boutique paper design artist, Ella meets ex-professional football player, Ben, retired from USFL and has retreated to the wilderness of Maine to get away from the demands of his public life and to gather his emotions and depression. Ella and Ben share a common friend, Jack that lives alone since his wife's death and is their matchmaker, if you would call Jack that.
Ella first encounters Ben at Jack's home with her two huskies, Fred and Sam (both pups have a personality of their own and you will enjoy watching their characters grow). Ella immediately recognizes Ben as the gorgeous professional football player that has had a devasting loss that abruptly quit professional football to focus the attention on the dangers of the sport with his family's nonprofit organization. Ben and Ella share a friendship that they struggle with when the feelings grow and become physical. There are a few moments in the book that deal with sexual tension and sex, but nothing intricately detailed. Ella's family is a large diverse family dynamic and the backstories of her family members are given in detail to add to her makeup. Her support system is great and adds to her layers. Ben has a compact family dynamic and they are not ones, to be honest, and open with each other. This creates friction between Ben and Ella's relationship.

This is not your normal rom-com novel. It deals with anxiety and crippling depression that coincides with grief and high demands of coping mechanisms that many use to put on a happy demeanor around others. The novel does have sections of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion, and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) a progressive degenerative disorder of the brain found in those with a history of repetitive brain trauma, for example, repetitive hitting helmets in a game of football.

"Snowed In", is an interesting contemporary romance full of banter, laughter, love, sexual tension, and family relations. This was my first book by Navessa Allen and I enjoyed it. The TBI and CTE information provided within the book added to the storyline - it may seem like a lot of medical terminologies, but I enjoyed it.

I received an advance electronic reader copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest review.

5/5 stars

the great

Amazing but not a light-hearted romp, delves into some tough stuff.
- Iconic male lead, truly.
- The plot doesn't fall into the usual fare, and it was so refreshing

everything else

It's been about a week since I finished this book, and I cannot recall what I didn't like about it. Evidently, it wasn't enough to lower the rating from a near-perfect five stars.

What I wanted was a quick and brainless Hallmark-y romance story, set in a small town during winter, featuring two people who are secretly crushing on each other and then they get stuck together in a tiny cabin during a snowstorm and they have to share a bed and keep each other warm until the storm dies down. Or something like that. What I got with this story instead was a romance that was often quite emotionless interspersed with preachy detours into topics like politics and racism, and topped off with more information about traumatic brain injuries than I ever wanted or needed to know.

To be fair, the actual romance parts of the story were nice. Unfortunately, those were drowned out by the long-winding medical descriptions about football-related brain injuries, different kinds of depression, grief,... I can take some heavy stuff in a romance, but this was just Too Much. Maybe the author was working through something while writing this story, but then maybe don't package it as a fluffy romance?

What a charming read! A cute, sweet story to read by the fire.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the first ever book I've read from Navessa and I absolutely love it.

Fantastic characters, sweet story and lovely cover.

Ill be looking out for more books from Navessa in the future xx