Member Reviews
Absolutely gorgeous book and one which I highly recommend.
Quite possibly my new favourite by this author.
Usually, I adore Belinda Missen's works, but I cannot find any chemistry between the leading characters here. The hero doesn't even make much of an appearance until the latter half. The language is good, but the plot needs some work. You can't imagine how disappointed I am.
When I picked up this book I actually smiled. Yes I did because I just know what to expect from this author and she delivered just as I knew she would. This book just made me feel good as it swept me away into Katharine's life.
Katharine has had enough! After being passed over for a promotion at the gallery...she packs her stuff up and leaves, without as much as a goodbye! She has lost the position she has worked so hard for to the buddy of her boss. Good thing she has her boyfriend John for support...oh wait...not exactly. John can't commit to a cup of coffee....yet she keeps hanging on to him. UGH...
When she takes off to her hometown to start her own gallery, I keep hoping she will find love. Although it seems to be unlikely with the current company she is keeping...her brother, her father...oh and there is Kit. Yes there is Kit..he is..a challenge. He gives her a run for her money and I love it. The snarky banter back and forth. They loved to hate each other. Will this be an enemies turned lovers? Will John finally see what he had?
I loved this rom-com and flew through it! The characters were so well developed that I felt I knew them. If you just want an easy read that will entertain you and make you smile this is the one for you. It will make you feel all warm inside.
Thank you so much to Rachel's Random Resources for having me along on this blog tour. Thank you to HQ for this gifted copy via Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you Belinda Missen for putting a smile on my face once again!
Enjoyable with some witty bits, whilst this was nothing out of this world new, it was a strong, enjoyable read.
This is a fun, light, romcom. Katharine spontaneously quits her job in London and moves back to her hometown to open her own art gallery. She is introduced to the enigmatic and infuriating local artist. Of course they can’t stand each other at first but this being a romcom their feelings change over time - well actually very quickly. It’s a bit too sudden (if you ask me) and it all wraps up fast and neat after that. It’s a cute book but nothing earth shattering.
“Every single thing we do is a risk. It just depends on how much we want it”
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions are my own and this did not affect my review in any way.
I requested this book from Netgalley because I was in the mood for a fun romantic comedy and after reading the blurb on this one, I was interested right away.
Accidentally in Love follows Katherine Patterson who after quitting her job and breaking up with the guy she though was the one, she decided to move back home and open up her own art gallery.
I really enjoyed this book, it was fun and easy to read and I was very intrigued with the whole art gallery aspect of it. In the beginning I had trouble with the main love interest, he seemed very rude and not at all charming, however, once we get to know him, I was immediately drawn to him. The banter between the two characters is amazing and I definitely laughed out loud several times while reading this.
The characters are very well developed and the writing is very easy to fly through. The book doesn’t not have common clichés or tropes which makes it even more enjoyable. Moreover, I really appreciated that the book didn’t just focus on the romantic relationship, it was very interesting to see Katie trying to open up her new business and getting a glimpse of the lives of so many characters, the romance was an aspect of the book but it was not the main plot of it (which in my opinion is great). Finally, the character growth of Kate and Kit is fantastic and very realistic, I loved how they both realized they weren’t perfect.
The reason I took one star was due to the toxic friendship portrayed in the book.
Overall, this book is one of the best romantic-comedy book I have ever read and I totally recommend it if you are looking for a fast, fun and easy to read romance that has more than romance in the plot.
Thanks so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read and review this book.
“But you´ll never know if you don’t ask. And if you don’t ask, the answer is always no”
This is a book by a new to me author and it certainly won't be the last.
It was a nice change for me to read about a woman who was close in age to me. It was actually rather refreshing. Katharine was like a breath of fresh air, a businesswoman trying to make her own way in the world who is trying to turn down handouts because she wants to say "I did this." Her actions make me want to make her into one of my heroes because if I did what she did I'd have crippling anxiety.
The pacing of this was great and if it was possible for me I would have read it in one sitting (kids like to bother me as soon as I look comfy).
The character development was on point too. I want someone like Fiona who is willing to cook for me and be an ear.
My real critique of this is I was really hoping for some kind of epilogue as I want to hear more about these characters and how successful Katharine became.
This is definitely a must-read for me and I can't wait to read more from this author.
Accidentally in Love centres around Katharine. In one life-altering week, she quits her job, moves back home from London and dumps her boyfriend. But not all hope is lost, as one of her dreams are realised when she prepares to open an art gallery in her hometown, which exhibits work from local artists, including the handsome Christopher (Kit). The first meeting between the stubborn pair doesn't go well, so this is definitely an enemies-to-lovers book for fans of that trope.
I was a big fan of Belinda Missen's novel, One Week 'Til Christmas, so I was very excited to read her latest book. I loved the characters in Accidentally in Love; particularly Katharine's family as they were all so loving and supportive. In my opinion, the cute easy-to-read romance novel is perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Laura Jane Williams.
Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I liked this book a lot. It has elements that I enjoyed: enemies to lovers, friends that can come back from blowouts, and learning to embrace one's strengths. There were parts that were funny, sad, sweet (Christopher!), and fun.
This was a nice rom-com, with enough weight that it didn't feel too fluffy or saccharine.
'Accidentally in Love' has the reader in London where Kate walks out of her job (rightfully so) and is now trying to find herself and what she really wants in life at thirty-something. She drops the boy toy that she hoped would become more but realized would not actually amount to anything and moves back to her home town. Back home she get to meet more of her family, which I adored all of them, and Kit a local artist. Kit and Kate do not hit it off (which you expect in a bit of a enemy’s to lovers trope) but I felt that for a romance this book was slow and there wasn’t much romance at all, even the end I wouldn’t really call romance as they were not really in that many scenes together. and it dd not feel relatable on the quick turn around.
I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
‘Accidentally In Love’ follows Kate, who after quitting her job in London and breaking up with a man who did not want to be in a committed relationship with her, decides to move back to her hometown to open and run her own art gallery. Here she meets Kit, her father’s friend and the man that Kate instantly hates. But Kate needs Kit to help her open her art gallery and the feelings between the two of them eventually turn to love.
I liked this book overall. It was cute and I did really like Kate as the main character. I loved Kate’s family, especially Fiona who I instantly loved, and I absolutely loved the family dynamic and how much they all loved and supported each other.
My main problem with this book was it took me forever to read it because the writing was so slow and even though this book is about 350 pages long, it felt like nothing happened until the last 20% of the book. I also felt like there was not much chemistry between Kit and Kate. They had barely any scenes together and the only scene where I actually saw them have some sort of chemistry was the last scene that they were together before the end of the book. Kit was just another boring love interest in my opinion and he was kind of forgettable.
‘Accidentally In Love’ is a cute rom-com and I’m sure anyone who loves art and hate to love romance will love this book.
I completely loved this book! The story begins by introducing us to the character of Katherine, who at 35 is the curator at the Webster Fine Art Gallery in London. After being passed up (again) for promotion, Katherine makes a spur of the moment decision – and quit her job there and then. After seeking solace back in Sheffield with her family, Katherine decides its time for some big changes in her life. Starting by ending her very ‘on/off’ relationship with commitment phone John. After much soul-searching, Katherine decides she wants to open her own art gallery in her home town of Sheffield.
When Katherine is introduced to Christopher (Kit) at a dinner party her Dad is holding, we see instant sparks and chemistry between the two of them. Kit is an artist and the two of them are so similar, yet seem to not get on at all initially. Supported by her family and her brother Adam, who is going through relationship problems of his own, Katherine works hard to see her dream of opening her own art gallery come to life. Not without one or two hiccups along the way!
Accidentally in Love is a fun, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. Packed full of brilliantly written characters, sparks and chemistry! delivers what it promises, a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy indeed. I would recommend to anyone who wants to read a fun and casual romance story.
Katherine is fed up of working in a 'boy's club' environment and giving her all to a guy that doesn't seem to be giving a lot back. So she leaves her job, the city and the guy she thought might have been the one to open her own gallery. There, she meets Kit, instantly they clash but slowly, they begin to understand one another on a much deeper level.
I didn't love this book, I found it very slow starting and was almost at the point of giving up when, eventually romance started to blossom with Kit and I decided to stick it out. The story of their romance then went from 0-100 in a very short amount of time and I didn't find it overly relatable.
Girl leaves city to start up her own… gallery! Ok, so it’s not the most original of stories and it’s become a common, popular theme recently but, hey, I enjoyed it and relished in the easy-going nature of the plot. No wicked surprises in the chapters, it was an ideal read you could take to the beach.
Katharine has clearly convinced herself that her “relationship” with John is eventually going to progress into something serious. However, at an embarrassing work dinner, Katharine realises she needs to make a change. This sets off a sequence of events whereby Katharine moves back to Sheffield and explores the idea of opening her own art gallery.
I like these types of stories because it reminds me how much independence women can have. Katharine is determined to succeed on her own, without any financial hand-outs from family. The relationship she has with her brother is lovely and made me feel all warm inside; it was great to see how supportive they are of one another. Furthermore, the banter that exists between these two characters and across the book added to the entertainment value of the story.
Broody, miserable Kit has the expected hidden background. It takes a while for Katharine and Kit to make a connection and I enjoyed watching their explosive conversations before they become friends. It is clear that they will end up together, but I liked the path that Missen takes these characters on; not only do they learn more about themselves, but also how they behave with others.
I found I could not trust Katharine’s best friend, Lainey. I felt she was far too selfish and made Katharine appear submissive. Lainey, due to be married, expects more and more from Katharine and, from my perspective, offered very little support for her friend’s new venture. Of course, friendships survive in this type of book, but I wish the writer had shown Lainey as a more reformed character.
The novel charts Katharine’s actions as she moves to open her gallery. I was pleased to see the book finish on her opening night but I wanted to know more about what will happen next to the central characters. What is in store for Kit and Katharine? Will Lainey have a happy marriage? Katharine’s parents: what is in store for their next adventure? Will Adam find happiness? There were just too many questions that I hope means Missen will write a follow-up to such a lovely story.
With thanks to HQ Digital, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!! This book was unputdownable.
This story was so cute! I loved Katharine and Kit. Katharine was so feisty - I loved it. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments in this one. I recommend it if you are a rom-com fan!
This was cute but did not hold my attention much tbh. Like it was a standard chick lit with a meet cute but also it did not have many memorable characters. That being said, it is NOT by any means bad. It is easy to go through and finish in a day
This book unfortunately fell flat for me. It was really difficult for me to get into and even more difficult to stay interested in throughout. I almost DNF'ed it several times, but stuck it out and it didn't get much better for me.
I could not connect to the characters at all and found them both lacking depth and interest.
This was a very slow paced read and a slow burn romance. Overall, the story felt blasé and disjointed to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I started out not so sure on this one. Kit was...abrasive. I don't think there's really any other way to say it and all the way through to the conclusion, I don't think there's any excuse for the abrasiveness and the reasons given in the story fall flat for me.
That being said, it was a witty, laugh-out-loud and charming second half. It's a bit trite, the whole one person flipping a lid at a hugely, glaringly obvious misunderstanding and making the innocent one have to grovel. I've read many a contemporary romances recently that are finally doing away with that plot point and actually dealing with communication. But I do think the chemistry with their connection over art was strong enough to overlook that.
I truly enjoyed Katherine. Not come across many characters who have been run so absolutely ragged and kept waking up and grinding through another day. She was tough, she was realistic, she had me cheering for her so heard.
Overall, a cute romance for a night in of reading.
This book started off with a bang with Katherine quitting her job and deciding it was time to open her own galley. Based on the way it started, I was expecting an action packed book. Honestly, though, I was so bored for the first two thirds of the book. I wanted some action, some character development, something. Finally near the end of the book, things pick up and we really get to see the depth of Katherine and Kit. Kit's opening up was probably my favorite part of the whole book—I enjoyed getting to know him.
Also, I felt as though the author brushed over Katherine and Lainey's make-up so quickly. If that's the way I felt in a friendship, I'm not sure we could just hug and all would be forgiven.
I had a very difficult time getting into it, but there were some bright spots throughout.