I would love to give this book more stars, but just can't. It was too predictable. The tension and banter between the main character and her ex was fun, but the story didn't have much substance.

Realistic RomCom. Kara Sullivan has loved reading and books her entire life--she is now an author with a few noteworthy titles under her belt. She is living a pretty good life--other than not really having a decent man to romance her. When Ryan (an old college boyfriend) steps back into her life, she is sideswiped with some negative feelings (anger, distrust, hurt) but able to write some pretty decent chapters (she had been in a funk recently). So when she gets an opportunity to take advantage of this old/new muse, no one should be surprised--least of all, Ryan or Kara! Overall, a fun and engaging read ;)

I had high hopes for this book, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Kara is a romance writer who is suffering from writer's block. When she runs into her college ex-boyfriend at a wedding she realizes he may be a muse for her writing. She's willing to overlook the fact that their relationship did not end well so she can keep Ryan in her presence and therefore keep her writing flowing.

I had a hard time following the dialogue in the book (which was pretty extensive, btw) and knowing who was speaking when. There was some overlap with the responses and it made it confusing to know who was who - I'm not sure if it was a formatting issue or a composition issue, but either way - it was hard to follow. While I loved the chemistry between Kara and Ryan, there were certain elements of the story that really changed how I felt towards Ryan. Overall not terrible, but not the great rom-com I was hoping for.

Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I gave this one a 3-star rating.

What I loved about this book?
Second change romance trope
A meet cute at a wedding
The flirty banter between Kara and Ryan
Kara's confidence in who she was and who she isn't
Kara prioritizing her emotional health over a relationship and implementing healthy boundaries
The book inside a book trope mirroring Kara & Ryan's relationship


What didn't work for me?
Cheating in a relationship
Kara's understanding and baggage around her father's death seemed immature for her age
Too much bookstagram explaining


This is a cute rom com with all the essential elements including a best girlfriend, escalating flirting, miscommunication keeping them apart and extra family dynamics that complicate things. If you love rom coms, this one is for you.

Cute, enjoyable, yet somewhat predictable romcom. The character development was great. The storyline of the writer with writer’s block is overplayed. This is fine for an all female book club.

I couldn't put this one down! Kara is a romance author suffering from writer's block, and gets the ultimate inspiration when she'd reunited with the college boyfriend who broke her heart. Talk Bookish to Me is filled with so much to love; bookish folks will appreciate the explanations of well-known tropes and bookstagram culture, while good ol' fashioned romance fans will enjoy the steaminess of Kara and Ryan's reunion, and the compelling forces that lead them to reconsider their current relationship status. While the book has a definite rom-com vibe, the story feels rooted in reality with Kara and Ryan both working through different forms of grief and regret that they've carried for years, which makes the ending all the more satisfying. As Kara describes the similarities between romance novels and baseball, I see it; nothing truly new or game-changing happens here, but it's still an exhilarating read that I was glued to until it reached it's thrilling conclusion with a home run.

Talk Bookish to Me is the cute story of reunited exes thrown together in the midst of their best friends’ wedding week. The plotline is somewhat familiar although Bromley did her best to reengineer the characters’ backstories. Even though the story was at times expected, I found the plot engaging and easily finished the book in one sitting.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of rom coms and admittedly love-hate relationship dramas are a guilty pleasure. This one is reminiscent of Beach Read and as an added bonus the protagonist is a bookstagrammer. With all this in mind, I will definitely be looking for more novels from debut author Kate Bromley.

Reluctantly though, I must admit that I struggled with what to rate this one due to the story’s end. I must caution anyone before reading this that after getting 75% of the way into the book the plot turns anything but predictable. I wished the ending hadn’t quite unfolded the way it did. Bromley definitely put a different spin on this tale, and it left me with mixed feelings on a relationship I had previously liked. -- Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Not your typical formulaic romance, but it felt more realistic somehow. The characters had amazing banter and chemistry.

A light, easy read with terrible characters. This book has a very Happiest Season vibe where you aren't sure why the main characters have stayed together after all of the trauma they put themselves through. Kara has horrible friends! I wasn't fond of the breakaways to the book within a book either. I'm sure we are meant to glean a little bit about Kara's thoughts and feelings about the situation she finds herself in, but it was really distracting and I ended up just skipping over those parts. I thought the dialogue was good, a lot of bantering between people who are familiar with each other, but it's more sitcom-like than real life. But who is looking for reality in a romance novel?

I adored this book it had good pacing and the chemistry was so good between our main characters. I really loved how complete this story felt. the twist was good, the backstory on their relationship and the events around the time it ended... the time they missed out on and I felt for them! I got through it so fast and definitely will check out more stories from this author.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. The dialogue was snappy, and the chemistry between the two main characters was really entertaining. The story didn’t follow the path I was expecting, which is great in romance, as so many of them can be predictable.
The main character is a romance novelist, who is in the process of writing a historical romance. Parts of her novel are sprinkled throughout the book. My only critique is that I felt that was unnecessary, and didn’t really add anything to the story.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This romantic comedy novel is a quick fun read.

As the author of a number of romance novels, it would stand to reason that Kara Sullivan would have a love story to rival her books. Not so, especially since her college boyfriend let her down spectacularly so many years ago. Now she is perfectly happy being a best selling author with a looming deadline on the horizon. Despite her very real writers block, Kara immerses herself in her best friends wedding only to find herself face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend who is also a member of the wedding party. In Kate Bromley's humorous and very plausible Talk Bookish to Me, the author flirts with the themes of friendship, love and forgiveness in this lovely nod to a literary based rom-com. An easy read and worth the effort.

What a great debut novel by Kate Bromley! Talk Bookish to Me is a funny and touching second chance romantic comedy about romance writer Kara and her college ex-boyfriend named Ryan. They haven't seen each other in ten years since their heartbreaking split. When Ryan shows up as a groomsman for her best friend's wedding, they both realize that they have been suppressing their longing and heartache for one another. Ryan's re-entry in Kara's life is somehow rejuvenating her writing mojo that has been missing for a year. The two become reacquainted with one another and they begin to slip back into a relationship they are just realizing they wanted.

I loved the second chance story in this book! From the beginning, Kate Bromley intimates that Kara and Ryan's relationship in the past was intense and consuming. Their disdain for one another at first is a good indication that they crashed and burned and it wasn't pretty. When we finally find out how their relationship ended and the other following their breakup, my heart was breaking for them. There were so many unfortunate circumstances for this couple and it was clear they were meant to be together but life happened.

Of course, as a romance reader, Kara's character spoke to me! I loved how she spoke about books, the bookstagram community, romance novels, and love. I found myself nodding my head in agreement anytime she talked about romance books. I liked that Bromley included some excerpts of the novel Kara was writing in the book. It made me want to read more historical romances!

I really enjoyed Bromley's writing - it's smart, clever, and the dialogue was on point. There were funny moments and then there were moments were Kara and Ryan were vulnerable with one another. The witty banter had me laughing out loud which is always a big plus for me.

I'm looking forward to reading more by this author. Maybe some of the supporting characters like Maggie or Liam can get their own book!

Steam level: 🔥🔥½
⚠️: death of a parent

Adorable romcom reading throughly enjoyable. The characters are what you come to expect from chick-lit, romantic comedy literature whatever you decide to call it. Buy one for a friend and enjoy it together or read it in a book club.

This book was so, so special. This book will, without a doubt, be one of my 2021 favorites. I was hooked from the moment Kara and Ryan met and was rooting for them SO! HARD! every step of the way. I absolutely loved how this book incorporated all my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers, a little bit second chance romance, a sprinkle of forced proximity... and on top of all of that, the story is set in New York and Italy, two of my favorite places! UGH SO GOOD!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this ARC on NetGalley.

My rom-com fans will adore this title as I did. Ryan and Kate were the perfect pair and I enjoyed seeing how they worked through their relationship. It was more than they typical "wedding-matches" story and my summer readers will love it.

I've been slowly diving back into the romance genre and when I stumbled across this book on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it! A second chance romance that follows a thirty year old romance author slash bookstagrammer, SIGN ME UP! While a tad slow in the first few chapters, the story then takes off once we have our hero under the same roof!

We have Kara and Ryan, college sweethearts torn apart ten years ago, finding themselves meeting again at her best friends wedding party. Kara notices that her writing slump is disappearing the closer she gets to Ryan, and with the deadline for her manuscript days away, why not take this opportunity and make the best of it, right? Kara, with the help of her friends, sets off with a list to get her life similar to that of the characters she invents in the pages of her own novels. Sparks fly. Drama ensues. A dash of Italy. Bada-bing we have ourselves a very witty rom-com.

The banter between our two main characters was the main ingredient that kept me turning the pages! It was funny and witty and everything that I love in a rom-com. That mixed with the fact that our character is just as book obsessed as I am. I absolutely loved the bookstagrammer aspect; seeing Kara place out books and props to capture the perfect image for her feed was the cherry on top. The "act out your book" scene... need I say more?! Perfection!

Now Beth, why not a five star then? Well, there's this 'issue' if you will, about 70 percent into the book that I just cannot agree with, regardless of how it plays out in the end. The fact that what tore them apart ten years ago was dealt with as a bigger deal than what happens present day was little unrealistic. I get it... love. It just doesn't jive with me. BUT I did find myself missing their relationships and Ryan, so take that for what you will.

In the end, if you're a lover of romance, I would recommend you pick this book up. Whether you agree or agree to disagree with my stance on the 'issue', it's still worth it for the book nerd that Kara is.

Talk Bookish to Me is the perfect romance for all the book nerds out there. It follows Kara, an author and bookstagramer, as she runs into her college ex during her best friend’s wedding week. This is the perfect romance for all the book lovers out there.

Review: Talk Bookish to Me, Kate Bromley (out 5.25.21)

Sigh. This book was the perfect rom com.

Witty banter.
Second chance romance.
A little novel within a novel.
An ode to Bookstagram.
An adorable bulldog.

Kara and Ryan’s story was sweet and endearing, but also real. They both carried emotional baggage, and like real humans they avoided talking about it.

I adored Kara. Her friendships, her sense of humor, her commitment to using humor to deflect. She was so relatable.

And, Ryan. Oh, Ryan what are we supposed to do with you. I can’t say much without giving away spoilers, but even when he royally screws up, I just wanted to pull him into a squishy hug and never let him go.