I struggled with this book to be honest. Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite authors and seeing this was being compared to her novels really sold it for me. I looked at other reviews before requesting and all seemed to be saying how funny and great the book was so it is maybe my frame of mind but I could not connect with Katherine or the book at all really. I did finish the novel and I enjoyed the last third.
I am sure it will sell well as the cover is great and the book description really sells it well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQStories for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this when I saw it on Netgalley - it has the romance cover I always gravitate towards, and it sounded like a cute "girl goes back to her hometown and finds a home there" story.

Which makes me all the sadder for not connecting to it. It could entirely be a me thing, and so I won't be adding a star rating until well after release (except on Netgalley where it's required) because I don't like lowering a rating before release (I'm weird).

Katherine quits her job suddenly when she's passed over for a promotion <i>again</i> for another friend of her male boss, breaks up with her "boyfriend" when she realizes he will never be committed to her over his job, and moves back to her hometown of Sheffield to open her own gallery.

This is basically the premise I had going into it, but one of the problems is this premise takes so long getting off the ground - she's still breaking things off with John almost halfway through the book, and it felt uncomfortably drawn out, like a lot of the book. Discussion of the renovation, conversations about nothing of value to the plot, and internal monologue all felt like they could be cut a LOT and the book would be better for it. There's only so much about a tesco trip I need to know, you know? Personal preference.

The exposition relies on conversations with friends and siblings at the beginning, which is usually fine, but her conversation with Lainey felt like one you'd have with friends after a few months, not with someone you work with and see every day. It was a small thing, but it stood out.

These issues for me was accentuated by the romance - which, considering this book is a romance, I would hope would be the shining point. Instead Katherine and Kit have one of the WEIRDEST first conversations I've ever read between love interests and then rarely talk unless they have small bickering moments until the last 200 pages of my ebook copy where they're suddenly into each other. I saw another review say it felt like the bickering was supposed to emulate Jane Austen, and I can see where that reviewer is going with that comparison. It just didn't make sense for these two. They were both described as stubborn but even with that and their motivations, I didn't feel chemistry between them (also, the flirting really weirded me out because it was sex jokes out of nowhere - again, could just be a me thing).

The plot had potential and I'm just sad I saw so little of what interested me - I would have loved if the book featured a lot of Katherine merging with Kit's students and learning more from them rather than just being surprised they were good. I would have liked is Lainey's development and interactions had felt different than night and day depending on the book needing conflict from somewhere other than Kit. It didn't make much sense for me. I would have loved more family time with Kit, and for the scenes we get in retrospect (cute scenes with her brother helping) to be more in the forefront than the paint picking scenes. This all just accentuates how personal my desires were for the book, but my heart tells me I would have liked this book if it had highlighted different moments and been cut down a fair bit.

I will say one more thing - early on in the book, when Katherine sees Kit for the first time, the book reads: “And he’s solid. <b>Not in that need-to-lose-ten-kilos way,</b> but solid in a broad-shouldered, rips wood apart in the rain and plucks kittens from trees like low hanging fruit kind of way.”

I don't have words for how quickly my good faith in this book turned sour when I read that. I had to put the book down for the night so I could try to separate it and keep an open-mind. Fat shaming of any kind - even though Katherine has a less than delighted opinion at Lainey's mother guilt tripping Lainey about eating before her wedding - shouldn't happen without consequence. So when it's a side comment Katherine makes that is never addressed, it colors my opinion of Katherine until the end, and it made me like her less. I call out language like this because I myself am fat, and men of all sizes read romance books even if it's in small numbers, and no one deserves to feel hated or judged when they're reading. No one.

I still really wish I had liked this, it never brings me joy to dislike a book, and I hope it finds its audience!

*Will be posted on September 4 on my blog, Goodreads, and Amazon. Will also be posted on my instagram September 8th*

Hello Fellow Readers,


This was a really fun book, Katherine was so great and I couldn't help but root for her to succeed. I loved the dynamic that Katherine has with her family, and just her overall attitude was refreshing. Missen did a great job keeping me engaged in the story. Missen also did a really good job writing the scenes and I felt everything that Kartherine was feeling.


I really liked how nothing went smoothly, but it wasn't so over the top. You can also feel the stress that Katherine is under and you really start to see the cracks start to form that you know something's going to break. This would have been 5 stars but I just couldn't get behind Christopher/Kit. He's just incredibly rude in the beginning and while it does start the enemies to lovers trope it takes a little too long to get to the lovers portion.


The entire time everyone is saying that Kit is so nice, and a good person but except for the very brief moment he and Katie hook up you don't see it. I kinda understand why, but at the same time I would like to be shown he's a good person. So it killed the romance for me a little, but I still loved the book so much.


Overall, this is a romance with a strong female character in a great book.

A wonderful feel-good romance infused with humor and realistic characters. If you liked Bridget Jones' Diary, you'll love Accidentally in Love.

Thanks to HQ Digital for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.

This was a laugh out loud, sugary sweet romance with a feminist undertone which I greatly appreciated. I loved Christopher and Katharine’s dynamic, and all the side characters were absolutely charming. But most importantly the BANTER WAS AMAZING (so amazing I think it warrants the all caps). I found myself often smiling like a fool while reading this book. What stopped this book from being a 5 star read for me was the last 25% of the book. I think some things could have been better handled or given more explanation. There were fall-outs and make-ups but I wanted to see the characters address the issues that caused the fight more.

I rated this one 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4 stars!
It was a bit of a slow beginning and ended up being less of a romance novel and more about Katherine’s journey to opening an art gallery. If you’re looking for a quick, smutty read, this one isn’t for you. If you’re looking for more of an in depth, meaningful romance, I think you’d really enjoy this book! There’s a large amount of enemies to lovers as in the romance doesn’t even come in to play until about 65% into the book however, I loved the characters. I think there was a good amount of character development and the ending was so sweet and heartwarming. Overall, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still ended up enjoying it!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. You can pick up a copy of your own on September 11th!

✨REVIEW✨ Publication Date: 9/11/2020
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Stories for the ARC.

This book was so adorable and fun. I love a good romcom with enemies-to-lovers and this one used that trope to perfection. I read it in a day and loved every second of this read.

Accidentally in Love tells the story of Katharine Patterson, who quits her job as an art curator after being consistently overlooked for promotions in favor of her less qualified male co-workers. She impulsively decides to move back to her hometown and open her own gallery. Her dad introduces her to a talented local artist, Kit, and (of course) they immediately do not get along.

This book was so joyful and easy to read. The banter was excellent and Katharine was a hilarious character. You immediately begin to root for her and her family and friends. Kit was perfect. I mean, the man made her bread. That is another level of perfect. Their romance was swoon-worthy and sweet.

Overall, Accidentally in Love is a refreshing, hilarious, and charming read perfect for fans of Lia Louis’ Dear Emmie Blue and books by Abby Jimenez!

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

Full review to be posted closer to release date

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

After Katherine not getting the promotion she rightly deserved, she quits her jobs. She also decides to stop seeing a guy who doesn't want anything serious and decides to move back home and open her own gallery.

She meets Christopher, an artist who runs an art school, and eventually start working in a gallery project together.

There's an enemies to lovers vibe at first and it's definitely fun to see their banter. They have very different views from art and argue a lot about it, so of course there's plenty of art references.

I also liked her relationship with her best friend, Lainey and the dialogues between them were awedome.

I just wish there were more chemistry between the two main characters. Even though, they were cute together, I felt like there was something missing.

Overall, it's a fun and nice read.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book, it was just so dull. In the first 7 chapters all that happened was the main character jacked her job in and then at chapter 6 she finally meet the Kit mentioned on the blurb; 5 chapters filled with nothing really relevant to the story line until you finally meet the other main character. It was so slow going and not really entertaining that I eventually gave up so I wouldn't recommend this book

This book, for me, was decidedly okay. The plot and characters had a lot of potential which for me, went un-fulfilled. The overall voice of the novel read like a blog - occasionally deeper and more meaningful, but in general, a rather typical voice that didn't stand out much from other characters or authors. The plot remained unfulfilled for me because the conflict was pretty mellow until about 3/4 of the way through, when it ramped up to an extent that seemed unrealistic given the slow burn of the conflict so far. The protagonist is pretty likable, which is funny because a lot of the conflict eventually hinges on her being a "difficult" person to love and care for, which you don't really see. The romance itself was an incredibly slow-burn, and the banter almost read as though it was from a modernization of a Jane Austen novel, but that didn't really fit with the overall tone of the book. The end, which could have redeemed these smaller issues, was utterly forgettable and unrealistic. It didn't fit with the characters or the tone I got from the story. That said, I appreciate the take on romance in the art world, and think anyone invested in artists and their lives may enjoy this read.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review

Wow! What an endearing story! I loved the premise and while it is most definitely a romance, it’s more a story about a woman finding herself and paving her own way! Cue all the emotions. Katharine is easy to love and the ending had my heart leaping for joy!

This book was just what I needed to read at the moment! When Katherine is passed over for a promotion at work that she knows she deserves she throws in the towel and moves back up North to start her own art gallery. What I loved about this book is that the romance is almost secondary to a plot about a woman really finding herself and building a life with some wonderfully supportive family relationships.

A couple of things that brought this book down for me where it would have rated higher. When she has sex there is no mention of condoms, and honestly in an adult relationship I like to know the characters are promoting safe sex! Also she is treated really poorly by certain characters and this seems to be completely overlooked and everything is wrapped up nicely ... and Katherine takes the blame for a lot of it!

Anyway, I would rate this 3.5 Stars and I am looking to read more from the author. I read this book in 2 days so you know its good!

Katharine on the surface is content with her life. She is working in a London art gallery, hoping for promotion, her best friend is getting married and her love life is, well, complicated. However, things suddenly change when she is passed over for promotion again, her best friend only wants to talk about her problems and her love life revolves around a man who she only sees on his terms.

Changing her life, she heads home to Sheffield to open her own gallery and meets a local artist Kit (Christopher) who infuriates her on their first meeting - but there is a fine line between love and hate. Attempting to get her life back on track, her past comes back to complicate things.

An easy read which makes you think about how much bending and flexing you do for the people in your life and whether they would do they same for you in return.

Katherine is starting over - after being passed over for promotion one too many times she quits her job.
When she spots a perfect space for a gallery in Sheffield, and meets local artist Kit who she wants for the gallery.

She left John behind in London after realising he was never going to get serious about their relationship, and isn't looking to meet anyone so soon, but as she clashes with Kit again and again could there be more to it than she thinks?

I hope that Adam gets his own book next!

Katharine Patterson loves her life in London as an art curator, she has a friends with benefits arrangement with a hot lawyer and a regular Friday night drinks evening with her BFF Lainey, heck she's even got a great flat. Then she gets overlooked (for the third time) for a promotion and (yet again) her firm promotes an under-qualified guy. Thoroughly incensed she quits her job. Then when her FWB guy is less than available she dumps him and decides to move back home to Sheffield and open an art gallery.

But when she visits her father for lunch she's been set up with a supercilious, know-it-all local artist who criticises Katharine's teenage photography and makes sarcastic comments about snobby London galleries. Katharine can't think of anyone she likes less. Until she sees his work and realises he would be the perfect artist for her first exhibit.

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, throw in a life-changing decision and family angst and I'm all yours. I've read a couple of Belinda Missen's other novels and her heroines (at least in the ones I've read) do seem to throw over their old lives and start again. But that's not a bad thing.

This was warm, with a charming hero, full of friends and family, art and love (OMG also a man who makes you bread!) and I didn't want it to end.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

** Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a complementary review **

I LOVED this book !! I cried happy tears !!! This is so much more than just a romance - it’s a truly lovely story !! Katharine is not reliant on The Man to make her happy (sure it helps) but fundamentally it is her determination and ambition which see her through.

It’s nice to see Katharine’s confidence grow throughout the novel - it’s a reoccurring theme that she downplays her abilities and talents much to the bewilderment of those around her. The plot truly demonstrates it’s never too late in life to change direction and chase your dreams ! I also very much enjoyed Katharine’s realisation of her self worth both professionally and personally !

Kit (and actually almost all the men in Katharine’s life) sees in Katharine what she can’t see in herself, he encourages her to believe in herself and her abilities. This is something I found so refreshing because although I do enjoy a cliche romance, it’s nice that it is actually the male characters who are cheering the female protagonist on.

I also really enjoyed how this novel deals with the evolution of friendships as we get older.

This was such a cute YA contemporary!! If you’re a fan of the movie Ballet Shoes, then this is for you ! I love reading about characters who pursue their dreams and this was so heartwarming.

Cute, mouth watering, deliciously sweet and heartwarming book gives you enough positive energy to get through your hell of a week! And I enjoyed every second of it!
Genuineness,naturalness of the characters and realistic, honest approach and storytelling skills of the author make you like more this up-lift, feel good journey.

There are not so much romcom cliches, illogical coincidences and exaggerated funny and inappropriate situations at this book. Everything seems like the reflections of your daily lives. The characters’ challenges, dreams and struggles are honestly told which help you to empathize with them.

Kate works her ass off in the art world of London as a curator but she gets sick of seeing the promotions she highly earns strictly go to the unqualified male candidates! And her relationship goes to nowhere. She feels trapped, suffocated and hopeless so she decides to take control of her life by quitting her job and dumping her boyfriend, moving back to Sheffield-her hometown- to open her own art gallery.

Of course her father is delighted to have her back and he pushes too hard to match with good looking local artist Kit.

Well, as you may imagine, both of them are too stubborn to deny the attraction between them and their quick daily banters, attempts to push away each other end up with more growing and sizzling chemistry.

I loved both of the characters and their passion for art, dreams, their fight against the things hold them back.

Overall: it’s easy, fast, enjoyable and highly recommendable reading!

Special thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for sharing this entertaining ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

Accidentally in Love is a fun and lighthearted read. It's really easy to be swept away by it and read in one sitting.

Accidentally in Love is such a fun and interesting romantic comedy. I love Katherine. She’s so determined and driven once she makes a decision. As Katherine starts over, both in her professional and personal life, she learns so much about herself. She realizes what is important to her, what she is worth, and who is really important to her.

One of my favorite aspects of the story is the wonderful cast of characters. Katherine’s family and Kit are wonderfully developed and interesting. I love Katherine’s relationship with her brother and their unwavering support of each other. Katherine’s relationship with her dad and step-mom is also lovely. They are good people and a loving and fun family, and I enjoyed reading about all of their shenanigans!

I also liked the enemies-to-lovers romance between Katherine and Kit. From the start, you can tell they have a lot of chemistry. They remind me a bit of Darcy and Elizabeth when they first meet in Pride and Prejudice. They are both so prideful and have preconceived ideas about each other, which results in some interesting and fiery conversations. I loved watching Katherine and Kit grow closer and bond over their shared love of art.

The story also delves into some deeper issues like inequities in the workplace, growing and changing relationships, and break-ups, all of which are handled with honesty and realism. Who hasn’t dealt with a bridezilla friend or a break-up? The messages and characters throughout the story are very relatable.

Accidentally in Love is a great romantic comedy that will appeal to readers who like contemporary romances with well-developed characters, witty banter, and HEAs.