This book drew me in from the first humorous paragraph. But after a few chapters of continuous profanity, etc, I was not so enamored. My rating would have been five stars, rather than four, had it not been for language and morals. Truthfully, I probably wouldn't have finished it, for those reasons, except that I was in the hospital with not a lot to read.

It was well-written, though, and the author has a way with words and is quite entertaining. I just don't feel at all comfortable with things that counter my values.

Kendall Whitney, an urban homesteader, quits her job in California and moves to Montana for a fresh start. Her goal is to get her life together and finally begin living as an independent woman. To document her transformation, Kendall notes the victories, the blunders, and everything in-between in her diary.

From the premise and title, Adventures of an Urban Homesteader sounds like a brilliantly funny and applicable romantic comedy. Sadly, this was just not the book for me. I didn’t like the protagonist, I wasn’t too fond of the book’s format, and the plot didn’t capture me enough to make this read an enjoyable one.

Firstly, I struggled to believe Kendall is 28 years old. The book dives into her family history which fills her out as a personality, but she’s too immature and clueless to feel authentic. Some of her revelations were annoying rather than funny. There are adult themes dotted throughout but Kendall’s diary entries are like that of a teenager. Her juvenile behaviour was off-putting, which made it really hard to stay interested in her as a narrator. Fortunately, the secondary characters added a refreshing layer to the pages and saved the overall narrative.

I really like the idea of Operation Kendall Independence. It’s very relatable, we have all tried to revamp our lives at some point. And I expected the book to be written in diary form, but it was executed in a way that makes the book feel like a summary. That in turn, tempted me to skip through and skim-read. The foundations of a fun adventure are there, but the chapters are almost abbreviated, so it’s quickly lost.

As a fellow 20-something, I looked forward to exploring Kendall’s journey to independence. But this book didn’t motivate or inspire. The secondary characters contributed to the entertainment factor more than the protagonist and the diary style became exhausting. Overall, Adventures of an Urban Homesteader went from an exciting and engaging adult-coming-of-age to a monotonous and forgettable read.

A fun and lighthearted read, of a young woman living in the city yet Kendall is sick of it all! Moving to Montana, she soon finds out how little she knows of adult life and it takes a bit to handle it all. But with new friends and giving herself time, she finds her dreams are reachable. It's in a dairy form so you get to really know the main character and her thoughts.

Seriously loved this book! So many moments that made me chuckle and drove me to keep turning the page. Definitely recommending this under the radar read to many girlfriends!

Adventures of an Urban Homesteader: The Diary of Kendall Whitney by Brooke L. Davis is a cute chit lit book, and my first book by this author. Kendall flees San Francisco and moves to Bozeman, Montana ready for a start over. Kendall is twenty-eight-year-old, but has no idea to be an adult. I did not love this book, but I enjoyed it. I enjoy watching Kendall trying to figure life out. If you enjoy a fun escape book than I recommend this book for you.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF at 50%

I fully admit that I chose this book for it's title alone. The fact that it was pitched as a rom-com was an added bonus. I love a good rom-com!

I went into this book thinking it would be about homesteading, and that the book would show Kendall's life as she built that homestead. (I watch many homesteaders on Youtube, and I was expecting something along those lines.) That's not what this book is. Not at all. Also I'm also no sure where the comedy part of the rom-com description was. Maybe that came in the second half of the book.

Kendall is a single woman, who quit her job in California, and is off to Montana for a new beginning. She's moving there with no job, no real place to live (crashing with a friend for a couple months), and she knows one person. What is apparent to me is that Kendall didn't do any research prior to this major life change. You would think that she would have researched job opportunities, as well as available housing prior to making the trip. Yet it is obvious she did not do that. How can she expect her new life to get off to a great start when she did no preparation? Kendall also clearly has family issues, which are brought up often.

This book was DNF'd as it just wasn't working for me. Plus I know that if I continue reading a book that I do not like, it will push me into a reading slump and I do not want that. Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher, for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for review.

Sweet, sweet and sweet

The perfect story of a woman on her journey of self-discovery. It was amazing to follow Whitney Kendall through on her journey. She just helps some of us remember that it's okay to rely on others sometimes and not everyone knows how to fix their toilet!

Brooke Davis humor is indescribably the best! No way I didn't laugh out loud at some parts.

A great book for women who are learning to live on their own or cope with the absence of their partners.

This was super cute and light. When Kendall wants to leave her big life in the city she chooses to follow her friend to Bozeman Montana and start a life living on her own. I feel like a lot of us did this this year with the quarantine learning how to be alone and fix things and being scrappy. So it was super relatable. I liked that we were reading her thoughts in her journal and not like a narrator telling the story. I thought her voice was super relatable when trying ot figure out relationships and housing projects.

I found it hard to believe she was 28. It seemed a bit immature how she called condoms man wrappers, and vibrators fun sticks. At first I thought it was funny then she called them that throughout the entire book and it sounded like what a teenager calls a condom because they are embarrassed. But at the same time she was parenting her mom and sister at some point so it was a bit confusing.

Overall I'd give this book a 3.75. It wasn't mind blowing but it was enjoyable and transported me away from this crazy time.

This book started off so well. I really enjoy reading books that have diary entries in them.. a la Bridget Jones.
I don’t know what went wrong though. The entries were too abrupt. They got over before I could even get a sense of the scene. Even though it’s a Rom Com, the ‘Com’ part was off in parts. The secondary characters were fun and it had some depth and wasn’t just a fluffy book.
I look forward to reading more from the author.

Kendall Whitney is an almost-thirty graphic artist and journal keeper who uproots her San Francisco life to find peace (and herself) in Bozeman, Montana. Safe from the ultra-urban community in San Francisco--which includes her recently divorced and man-crazy mother and her unpleasant former boss--Kendall quickly finds a community that supports her free-lance career, her ventures into solo living, and her relationships with the men of Bozeman.

This was a feel-good novel written in diary entries that were light, casual, and so much fun. I really enjoyed reading this, and it was a great reminder that adult life can be tough! That said, much of the novel was written with such simplistic language and style, and it felt like a YA novel. Of course, YA is wonderful, but the disconnect between the simple diction and plot and the age of the protagonist was off-putting. I think I would have absolutely loved this book as a high schooler, but it would have been difficult to connect to Kendall. As Kendall's near-peer, I enjoyed reading about her life, but felt like the book was a bit too long for its subject.

I really wanted to like this book, the book description was so promising and sounded like the perfect book for me. Unfortunately I could not get into the writing style, it made reading it difficult for me.

A funny and heartfelt book about changing your life. Sometimes it doesn’t happen like you plan it in your head and that’s okay.

Kendall has life goals but seems like a hot mess trying to get her adult like together. Her adventures and antics are laughable, if a little all over the place. I like how the chapters were broken down by month!

Ha! Laugh out loud funny! I just couldn't get enough of this story. Seriously the funniest book of "adulting" I've ever read. I don't recall becoming an adult being as difficult as it is appears to be for the younger generation. Just put one foot in front of the other... and fall flat on your face---sometimes! Eventually you get the hang of it. It's quite the adventure tale, with romance. Fun book!

The author wrote a witty dialogue that keeps you turning the pages to see what else Kendall is going to get herself into! She finds herself living alone and that being a responsible adult is not always going to be a walk in the park!

Kendalls journey of big girl adulthood comes with many dramas and the author weaves in some hilarious moments and growing up for her character!

To avoid any spoilers you have to read this book if you want some laughs and romance!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was almost 3 stars for me overall.

This book felt like it was trying to be Bridget Jones' Diary but wasn't quite there. I felt like I had a hard time getting to know Kendall and tell apart her rotation of men in her life. I expected more reflection from the diary format and was hoping for something a little smoother. The embarrassing moments and flukes also weren't super embarrassing which surprised me.

Kendall was endearing at times and the bones of a cozy read are there. The writing style just wasn't for me.

I really like this romantic comedy book I thought it was extremely cute and the characters lovable. I would highly recommend this one to liven your spirits.

The characters were interesting but I had trouble connecting - It felt like I was reading a review of each character instead of being introduced to them. This made it more difficult to get into the story and enjoy it. Ultimately I dont think the writing style is for me.

What a debut for Davis! This book did a lot of things right for me, I'm always a fan of reading a little bit of charm and self deprecating humor. The characters were well flushed out, but the main shortcoming for me was the lack of growth we saw in the book. I do, however, look forward to reading Davis' future work and sharing this book with friends, family, and followers!

This just wasn't my cup of tea. It is sweet, but nothing more. I just didn't fully enjoyed it...
2.5 stars.