Member Reviews

This was just so cute! Two people reunited against their will at their best friend's pre-wedding party. When they decide to a truce in order to make the week leading up to the wedding peaceful, they realize they both may not have been over their past. This was such an adorable book, but it also had a very real emotional aspect to it that I could easily connect with. I cannot wait to read more from Kate Bromley!

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TALK BOOKISH TO ME is an amazing rom-com filled with angsty moments, emotional landmines, and a blooming romance. The star, Kara Sullivan, a pretty historical romance author, is in dire need of inspiration. She has a deadline looming and her creative juices are dried up. Her agent is on her case about getting her book written. Can Kara get her mojo back?

At her best friend's pre-wedding party, her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, a handsome romeo, greets her, since he is in the wedding party too. Kara's best friend pairs them up together. This is going to be a train wreck! Their dating history together was disastrous. They ended up fighting and upset with each other.

However, Tara's inspiration is flowing again! How about that? Just seeing Ryan dredged up old hurts, but her attraction to him is still there. Incredibly, Ryan is thrown out of his hotel room when his pooch damages it, so Tara offers him her couch while he is in town for the wedding. Was this impulse offer a bad idea? Tara is making headway on her novel as Ryan's nearness sizzles her inside, inspiring her romantic side. Will they overcome their past history and realize what a perfect match they make? Or will their time together go up in flames?

TALK BOOKISH TO ME is a journey of self-discovery and second chances as a sparring couple learn to love again. Kara and Ryan have the hots for each other still, after all these years. Ryan's dog instantly charms Kara and she enjoys having them in her home. Only they need to rediscover honest communications in their relationship. Ryan is very supportive of Kara's published novels and I loved that aspect of the story. Ryan's verbalizing skills aren't great, which is one reason they broke up years ago. Kara takes time for herself, goes on vacation, to sort out her feelings. Will Kara and Ryan ever get back together?

The author did an excellent job creating a couple who are perfect for each other, but have problems they need to work on. This is a perfect enemies-to-lovers story with plenty of sass, spirit, and a special suaveness to the plot. I was touched by Tara's journey to renewal and hope, with her life shifting where she least expected it. TALK BOOKISH TO ME is an awesome story! You'll close the book with a full heart.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley. All opinions are my own.

My coworker and I decided to read this at the same time and were furiously texting each other to talk about it. This book has everything you could ever want in a romcom and more. I will recommend this to anyone and everyone.

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This was a fun read because of how "meta" it was. I enjoyed how the protagonist talked about romance novels and the various tropes, while living through it (hello, close proximity). All in all, this was a lovely read and made me want to go to Italy.

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This was a cute book. Kara is a romance novelist facing serious writer block after pumping out 7 best sellers after her tragic breakup with her college sweetheart Ryan. She is running low on inspiration and Ryan is now about to spend the next week sleeping on her couch while they await a mutual friend's wedding to happen. This is where I got a bit tossed out of the story. Seems a little unbelievable that the maid of honor Kara that is so involved with the wedding details does not recognize Ryan's name when he is one of the groomsmen. It is also hard to believe the fatal twist that is thrown in for more drama towards the end. Again, Kara is a super involved maid of honor... maybe if she was just a guest or just a bridesmaid it would have been a bit more believable.

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Readers looking to add to their (fun) summer reading lists may well want to take a look at this title. It has all of the elements of a good light read. There are engaging characters and there is, of course, some romance.

Protagonist Kara is a writer of romantic fiction who is suffering from writer’s block. What will help her to get her novel written? Will her good friends wedding be a help or obstacle? How will the arrival of an old boyfriend shake things up?

This book has humor, some steamy scenes and more. It was an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

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This one has gotten some mixed reviews but on the whole it was a win for me. Cara and Ryan had a bad break-up but get a second chance at love thanks to a mutual friend's wedding. LOTS of steamy sex scenes (Cara is a romance writer after all and research needs must lol). I loved all the bookstagrammer and book loving discussions and the way Cara defends the romance genre as a whole to Ryan. Both are keeping secrets though and when these get revealed their new love gets tested in even more ways. Cara goes on a solo writing trip to Italy and I enjoyed how she really embraced the culture/country/food figuring out what she wanted. The ending made up for the rocky middle as far as I was concerned but I wasn't a fan of the story within a story - I could have done without the fake British accent of the narrator who voiced Cara's historical romance work-in-progress. Overall a fun read, especially for any romance writers/lovers or bookstagrammers - definitely recommend. And if there are any bulldog lovers out there, Ryan's canine bestie has some great cameos! Thanks to NetGalley for my advance e-ARC of this book.

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Kara Sullivan is a bestselling romance author, and also quite successful as a bookstagrammer. However, she is experiencing writer's block. And her best friend is getting married. How is she going to be involved in the wedding plans when a deadline is looming? What is more is that her first love is in the wedding party! To say that Kara is frustrated certainly would be an understatement.

Why is Kara at her wits' end? Ryan Thompson broke her heart years ago, and now they have wedding duties to perform together. But, ever brilliant, Kara comes up with an idea to use Ryan as her muse in the historical romance she is writing. All of a sudden, ideas and dialogue are at her fingertips.

So, what we have here is a true to life debut author writing a book about a woman writing a book. Perfect! I love Kara's character. I also loved the trope references as Kara was writing her book. Kara and Ryan played good against one another and it was a delight watching their love reignite. Kate Bromley did a fabulous job with Talk Bookish To Me and I am eager to read more from her in the future.

Many thanks to Graydon House and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

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A cute bookish romance though I wish there was more about the protagonist's bookstagram since that is what really drew me in and made me want to read this.

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I have to admit that I started this book without having read the synopsis first. So I didn’t know much about this book before reading it, but honestly I enjoyed this one so much, it was just the perfect read for this season. I loved the trope of this one and the parts about Kate and Ryan were just hilarious. These 2 are like the best main characters for the enemies-to-lovers trope or the ex-lovers-to-lovers trope. I don’t even know if that last one exists, but it still fits perfectly.

There was so much chemistry in this novel that I almost forgot I was reading a book. I also quite enjoyed the writing style of the author and especially her humor. I mostly read this book during lunch breaks and oh boy did I have to hold it together. Otherwise, I would have laughed so much because some parts were pretty funny. Nevertheless, it wasn’t just a cute romance novel with some funny parts. Some scenes were very heartbreaking and sad and Bromley did a great job at writing these out as well.

Overall, I can’t stop gushing about this book, so I will stop here. If you want to read a somewhat crazy rom-com about two former lovers and want to know more about why they even broke up, then this is the perfect read for. On the plus side, it’s also a great read to ease you into summer because it definitely makes you forget these crazy temperatures.

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Read in a single night, I really enjoyed about 90% of Talk Bookish to Me. Kara is a successful author suffering from a bad case of writer's block. With her best friends upcoming wedding just around the corner, she is suddenly thrown into the path of her old college boyfriend. The man who broke her heart 10 years ago, and also the man she may still be in love with. As expected though, their story is not smooth sailing.

I LOVED the romance novel references and the fact that Kara is such a book nerd, it made me love her as a character so much more. I also loved the intertextuality of it as Kara's own book is woven throughout, influenced by her current love life. There is a lot to love about this book: the wedding setting, Kara's friends, a rather adorable dog, the troupe references all wrapped up in a well written story that has brilliant pace and just the right amount of depth. What stopped it being a 5 star story though is the twist.

To use Kara's own words, there is always conflict to be overcome in a romance novel, however - for me at least - that conflict needs to be enough to make it believable, but not so much that you lose the reader. I still really enjoyed the book, but it did take the shine off it for me.

Such a shame though as otherwise I loved it.

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I received an ARC via netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved, loved this book.

Kara is our heroine. She is a popular romance author and bookstagrammer, and loves to read romances. Right now she's feeling the pressure. Her best friend's wedding is just a week away, Kara's book deadline is almost here and she's about as far down the writer's block tunnel as possible.

Muses come in unexpected packages. Who appears in the wedding party by Kara's 10-years-in-the-past ex, Ryan. Ryan was her first love, and their ugly split has been a ghost in every relationship since then. But with Ryan around, Kara can write. Yes, they bicker, but it seems worth it with every page and chapter she can complete. But will this rekindling burn bright? Or will it flicker out once more?

This book made me laugh so hard (I was waiting at the mechanic for a car repair, so not really the best location). I have mixed feelings about Ryan - he did some really awful things, but I love Kara.

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This was a pretty standard contemporary romance of the "second-chance romance" variety. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. The main character, Kara, is a romance novelist who is about to blow a major writing deadline and is also preparing to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. At the pre-wedding party, Kara is surprised to see Ryan, an ex-boyfriend from college with whom she had a terrible breakup. They get a second chance, but of course things are complicated. Ryan's behavior in this is SUPER MESSED UP and shady, and I honestly didn't think he seemed all that great for Kara to have been hung up on for like 10 years. There's also a random trip to Italy for Kara that I found kind of a confusing detour. What I did love? The excerpts from the historical romance that Kara was writing. Maybe I just was more in the mood for a historical rather than a contemporary romance?

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Thank you Netgalley and Graydon House Books for the gifted book!

Whew. This one is quite steamy. Kara is a romance writer and #Bookstagrammer (what a fun addition). She is getting geared up for her besties wedding when all of the sudden her college ex, Ryan, shows up because he is friends with the groom! A TIGHT book deadline is looming over her head and all of the sudden seeing Ryan again is sparking her creativity. We as the reader get snippets of Kate's book as we also get to see this real life romance unfold.  Overall the book was a romance that book lovers will enjoy and has a very cute dog.

My one big point of dislike is a reveal in the later part of the book that is a spoiler but rubbed me the wrong way. 

Content Warning: Open Door Sexual Content

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I highly anticipated this book for month, but I hadn't really read the synopsis. Second chance isn't always my favourite trope, but I did enjoy the way this one went (their banter, the dog, the wedding setting, it was all really fun) until about 70% when something happened that made this book irretrievably not a favourite for me anymore. The last part felt completely distorted to me and while I expected the ending, I wasn't cheering for it the way I often am in a HEA romance. <br /><br />I'll still read anything this author writes next though! Just one plotline here didn't work for me at all on a personal level. <br /><br />Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley is a second chance romance between the main characters, Kara and Ryan. There is a lot of witty banter in this book and I love that Kara is a romance writer. I wanted to love this book—I did start to fall in love with this book—but the twist in the book was too problematic for me to overcome. There are certain things that I just don’t want in my romance novels. Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley has many great moments—but it was just not my cup of tea.

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This was a pretty good rom-com with some very witty dialogue and an enemies to lovers trope that I always love. I enjoyed the main character and I adored the dog. Overall though I didn't really love the love interest. There were some great moments but a few things were disappointing. I think that romance readers who like bookish stories will enjoy this one.

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This was pretty cute. I really liked the bookish references and the parallels to the authors writing life. The first 2/3 of the book was so good and swoony! I really loved both characters and their chemistry! The bookstagram references were fun and relatable too! I didn't love the conflict - it is always hard to redeem someone after that type of issue. However, the author did take some time for each character to grow and reflect and it made it seem like a realistic resolution. Overall this was a cute book and I hope to read another book from the author some day!

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I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, very funny, and a quick read. I loved the back and forth banter between Kara and Ryan. Kate Bromley clearly has a very witty and dry sense of humor! I will be looking for other books by this author.

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Full of quick witty banter, chemistry, and steamy romance, Talk Bookish to Me is an impressive debut novel from Kate Bromley that is sure to delight romance readers. Kara has every writer's worst nightmare. A huge case of writer's block. As a bookstagrammer and a historical romance author, she is no stranger to stress however even as the deadline for her novel quickly approaches, she still can't seem to shake this writer's block. The sudden and unexpected appearance of her college sweet heart at her best friend's pre wedding party is sure to shake things up. It turns out that Ryan, her college sweet heart, just so happens to be childhood friends with Kara's best friends fiance. Ryan seems to be the missing inspiration that Kara has been so desperately seeking out to finish her new novel. Emotions run high as Ryan and Kara had a less than amicable breakup and their is still plenty of anger, and chemistry left between the two. Will the pair be able to overcome their past history of hurt and pain and find love together in the future? Or are the pair destined to part ways after the wedding?

Talk Bookish is the perfect second chance romance book for every book lover and aspiring writer to add to their summer reading list. Kara's passion for books and writing shines though and Ryan's continual support and encouragement for Kara's career was wonderful to see play out over the course of the story. The chemistry between Kara and Ryan is undeniable and the snarky, witty banter between the two as well as between the other character's in the story is delightfully humorous. The characters are complex and charming, with plenty of dram and snark of their own. The plot is engaging and fast paced,; seamlessly combining awkward new love, steamy chemistry, friends and family, while also touching on more sensitive topics such as loss. I highly recommend Talk Bookish to me for romance readers looking for a new author to add to their must read list.

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