Sometimes a rom com comes into your life just at the right moment. I think that was the case with How Sweet It Is. I had so much fun reading Dylan Newton's novel - it hit all the right notes for a rom com and I really enjoyed my time spent with the characters.

Here's the book's description:
Event planner Kate Sweet is famous for creating the perfect happily-ever-after moment for her clients’ dream weddings. So how is it that her best friend has roped her into planning a bestselling horror writer’s book launch extravaganza? But the second Kate meets—or rather, accidentally maims—the drop-dead-hot Drake Matthews, her well-ordered life quickly transforms into an absolute nightmare.
Drake Matthews is tired of the spotlight and tired of his reputation as the Knight of Nightmares. He's really a nice guy! But he’s not prepared for Kate, a fearless agent of chaos in steel-tipped stilettos, or for that sweet sting of attraction he feels for her. She’s inspiring him to take his writing in a whole new direction—one that no one expects. Because now Kate and Drake are changing up the rules, and this plot twist might just surprise everyone . . . including themselves.
It seems like this book could be an enemies to lovers or an opposites attract type story but, really, it was a case of miscommunication and assumptions on both sides. Kate isn't as uptight as Drake assumes, and Drake is not the creepy horror writer Kate expected. Once they get to know each other, they (and the reader) realize they have some things in common and, gasp, might actually like each other. I liked that Newton managed to avoid falling into the insta-love trap (even though the story takes place over a short period of time). Kate and Drake falling for each other just made so much sense and I loved reading as the sexual tension got higher and higher until they finally got together (and I loved how they did as well with a mini getaway).

I'm really hoping Newton continues this novel into a series because I would love to get back into town and see what might happen romantically with both of Drake's brothers. The three siblings had such a great relationship and I'd be really interested to see who the other two end up with. My guess is one of them will end up with Kate's best friend (and Drake's publicist)!

Unlike a lot of small town set romances/rom coms I've read lately, How Sweet It Is didn't fall into any ridiculous territory. Yes, there was a super cute Harvest Festival but you could tell the whole town enjoyed it and it was a really special event for Drake's mom, which came through really well. The town is proud of Drake and welcoming of outsiders, which made the setting feel really good.

If I had to nitpick, I'd say the "crisis" the pair go through at the end of the novel (like in all romances and rom coms) was a bit ridiculous. Drake refused to actually speak to Kate about what happened and made assumptions instead (which, to be fair, made sense as something similar had happened in a past relationship). It wasn't such a bad thing that they couldn't come back from it, so I was happy about that, but it was just kind of like, "well, we have to have something happen so they fight/break up/etc. and then can have a wonderful get back together moment" and it was tossed in without a ton of thought.

I have an event background and I love books so the fact that Kate was an event planner and Drake was an author really made me excited to read this. Each career was explored well without being too technical and Newton was able to showcase each character's skills and how proud the other was of them.

Finally, I liked that there was a brief stop in Niagara Falls, albeit the "other" side of the falls. I live nearby on the Canadian side and it's always fun when books take place in and around the area. It was very much seen from the tourist side of things but it was cool to read as Kate took in Niagara Falls in a spectacular fashion.

How Sweet It Is totally thrilled me and it was a super fun and swoony rom com. If you're a fan of funny and smart romances, you're going to want to check out Dylan Newton's novel.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Kate Sweet is an event planner famous for creating HEA moments for all of her clients’ weddings. When one of her scheduled events falls through, her best friend picks up the slack and convinces her to organize a book launch event for horror author, Drake Matthews. Drake is tired of being dubbed “Knight of Nightmares;” he doesn’t want to make kids cry anymore and would rather flaunt that he’s really a nice guy! What everyone doesn’t know is that he secretly has a new genre in the works. When Kate comes crashing into his front yard, he didn’t expect the inspiration she would give to him both in his writing and in his life.
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Honestly, I loved this book so much. I thought the premise of a budding romance between a wedding planner and an horror writer was uniquely entertaining. It made me laugh out loud at more than one occasion and I found myself smiling throughout the whole thing, too. The relationship between Kate and Drake was a slow burn, however, once it peaked I thought the steam was excellent and just the right amount. Though it’s clearly a romcom, I appreciated that the author focused on Kate’s independence from her family and striving towards the goals she wanted to reach. Likewise, I appreciated that Drake was attempting to shake the stereotypes that revolve around horror writers. He so desperately wanted everyone to see that that there was more underneath his surface and with the arrival of Kate into his life, he was able to bring it out. Also the setting — Halloween, small town New York, Niagara Falls — perfection. Not to mention that swoon worthy helicopter ride. Ugh, I loved every single aspect of it!

Yes yes yes yes yes!! I loved this book. A super cute romantic comedy. I loved the story, and the characters are so lovable too.

Event planner extraordinaire Kate Sweet is known for her “Awww” moment, that little something extra that makes the day extra memorable for those she plans events for. That’s why she’s known as the Queen of Happily Ever After. Her calendar is filled with weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs that she will plan to the second, her spreadsheets for each event scheduled to the tiniest detail. Her parents, both surgeons, may still be trying to get her to take her MCATs and go to med school, but with each perfect event, Kate knows in her heart that she is doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing. All she needs now to prove it is the big event planning award, the EVPLEX.

Kate’s best friend is a publicist for a publisher, and one of her authors is needing an event planner for a book launch. It’s last minute, so Kate doesn’t have much time to plan, but the event planner who had to step away had gotten things started for them, so Kate just has to fine tune the details and supervise the event. In mere weeks. For Drake Matthews, the writer known as “The Knight of Nightmares.” Since Kate is not a horror fan, she looks him up online and sees stories about how his house is haunted and he has a giant Doberman guarding the place.

So Kate may have been a little stressed when she showed up at Drake’s house. The suit she’d brought—her only black one—was a little tight. But the stilettos she chose, black with a sharp silver accent, said nothing but power. No matter what Drake threw at her, she was ready. Or she thought she was, until the cold wind blew her umbrella out of her hand. And when she went to pick it up, her sharp shoes stuck in his lawn, and then there was the barking behind her. In her mind, Kate saw that giant Doberman and knew that she was in trouble. So when Drake showed up on the porch, giving her a hand to help her up from where her shoes were stuck, and the barking got louder, it wasn’t entirely her fault that she vaulted herself into his arms, climbing up to save herself. From his dog. Which turned out to be a Shih Tzu named Sasha.

Once Kate realized that she wasn’t in danger from the dog, she climbed down from Drake and started over in a much more professional way. Until her shoes left a large, bloody gash in his arm. And when she tried to clean it and bandage for him, the sight of blood made him faint. Which Kate noticed, so she tried to catch him, but he was a lot bigger and heavier than she was, so she really just slowly broke his fall when he went down and was stuck laying underneath him when the door opened to his publicist and the Hollywood director set to make his next book into a film. When Drake comes to, he fires them all.

But Kate does not give up so easily, and with a little encouragement, she tries again. Drake agrees—the even was part of his contract, after all, and once he calmed down, he realized he had to go through with it—but he did have one caveat. Kate would have to help him with his research for his next book. But he has a secret. His next book isn’t a horror book. It’s a love story that he’s been working on for awhile. He’d been trying to find the words, and ever since he met Kate in his yard that first day, he’s been itching to get the words from his brain onto the page. If she helps him get this romance novel out of his brain, then he can go back to the horror books that pay the bills. And if he can help her win that award, then all his sacrifices will be worth it.

As the weeks go by, Kate works on the event and Drake works on his book. Kate comes to see what a good and generous man he is, and Drake sees that Kate’s grace under pressure helps protect him when his fans are getting too close. But as when Kate makes a mistake that threatens to screw up Drake’s professional reputation, will they be able to recover the relationship they were developing? Or will the book launch turn into an ending for them both?

How Sweet It Is s a romantic heart with heart and smarts. The wacky situations these characters find themselves in are truly crazy but work perfectly in the story. The heat starts out on high but the relationships still develops slowly, making you want to root for these two to figure out how perfect they are together. Author Dylan Newton masterfully weaves these characters’ stories together, crafting their chemistry through a series of very funny situations that add so much charm to this love story.

I loved reading How Sweet It Is. There are several delightful surprises along the way, and these characters are good people, and watching them get closer reminds you that there is a lot of good love stories in the world. This book is funny, charming, and it just makes you feel good. It’s lots of fun from beginning to end and will fill your weekend the way a good movie rom com would.

Egalleys for How Sweet It Is were provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I adored everything about this book. If I could've skipped all of my other responsibilities, I would have read it in one sitting. Kate Sweet is called in by her best friend, Imani, to help launch a horror author's new book. Kate is known as the Queen of Happily Ever Afters and known for creating aww moments for her brides and grooms. She's hired for the King of Nightmares' new book launch. From the very beginning, things go very wrong. Despite all of these problems (and initially being fired,) Drake gives Kate and Imani a second chance at planning his book launch. He's instantly drawn to Kate and seeks her help in research/writing his new book. This book had me swooning! Drake is into Kate from the very beginning, but it takes Kate a little longer longer. This was a little bit of a slow burn, but I was here for it! I heard there might be books for Drake's brothers and I really hope so!

I will update with the link when I share to my bookstagram.

This one started out so strong, but sadly didn’t work for me.

I really liked Kate and Drake. They’re both good people who are doing things they love. Kate has an excellent BFF and Drake’s family was fantastic. However, there was no chemistry between Kate and Drake and I wasn’t invested in their relationship at all.

Plot wise, it was a little boring. The rush of the book launch didn’t add the pressure I was expecting it to, instead made the story filled with long passages of decoration description. I kept reading because I was curious to see what the conflict was going to be and it was over the top and resolved in just a few pages…

Overall, I had high hopes for this one, but I didn’t read the spark I was wanting to see.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 How Sweet it Is by Dylan Newton
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Kate Sweet has her own event planning company, bringing happily-ever after moments for her clients in dreamy weddings. But when her best friends needs an event planner for the book launch of the famous king of horror Drake Matthews. Drake is tired of the spotlight, and his reputation as the knight of Nightmares. He's not ready for the extravaganza Kate has prepared and for the chaos that seem to follow her everywhere she goes.
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This book was swoony goodness. It was full of adorable moments laced with laugh-out-loud humour. Drake's mother is definitely my favourite character, she was so funny and I loved how the entire family interacted with each other. This meet-cute is definitely one for the books. I don't usually love office romances, because of the unhealthy balance of power between the characters, but this one was done perfectly. I loved how Drake drew inspiration from Kate for his new book, it created fun scenes that had so many different dimensions. I loved how we got to see both point of views here, it really brought the story forward, adding dept to both the characters. This was such a fun and sweet rom-com, and I'll be on the lookout for more from this author.
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Thank you @readforeverpub for gifting me a digital advanced reader's copy via @netgalley . As always all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
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• HOW SWEET IT IS • #gifted @readforeverpub • Pub Date: July 13

With one of the best meet cute/disasters I've read in a while, How Sweet It Is was an incredibly fun and enjoyable story to add to your summer TBR! The premise was very creative and the perfect set up for a rom com - an event planner (primarily weddings) who prides herself on providing happily-ever-afters agrees to plan a book launch for a famous horror novelist. The dual POVs was a great addition for this story.

The only drawbacks for me was it got a tad too cheesy at the end for my taste and there was a bit too much of the dialogue being used to explain things that happened in the past (i.e., "remember when...").

Overall, this was a quick, great romance and I'm really looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!

*Book Review - How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton*

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for an ARC of How Sweet It Is in exchange for an honest review!
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This book was pretty adorable. I really liked Kate and Drake and it was so funny. This is a cute read with all the fall feels - which I loved!!! The cast of characters was great and I loved reading about them. I’m already looking forward to reading more from Newton!
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How Sweet It Is is available now! Definitely pick this one up if you rom-coms with some steam, descriptions of good bakery food and characters that you can root for.
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CW: Brief/quick mention of death of parent in a house fire and cancer, losing limb in IED explosion , domestic abuse, mention of suicide.

Kate is an established event planner who is an expert in creating customized , super-cute weddings filled with all the bells and whistles and especially "awwww' moments for the attendees. Drake is a popular author who has quite a few bestsellers in the horror genre and meets with Kate to plan up his upcoming book launch. Their first meeting is absolutely hilarious and I knew right away I will be finishing this book in one sitting.

Both the characters were so cute and likable that I decided I will be rooting for them pretty much in the first few pages. There were many funny moments throughout the book and Drake's brothers were super hilarious. Was it cheesy? Definitely yes, but I am absolutely not complaining and the grand gestures were so beautiful as well. Highly recommended for all the romcom lovers!

Okay I need to say that overall, I did enjoy this book. There were just a few things that didn't work for me.

The pacing. Obviously this is a slow burn and we love to see it. But things were SO slow and then heated up out of nowhere and then the end was just too fast and very chaotic. Because up until about 80% in, all they had done was kissed, I was sure this was going to be a closed door romance. Which is fine. But the steam, while enjoyable, came out of virtually nowhere and felt off.

Also, Kate forgave Drake WAY too quickly. She's a sweet girl with a kind heart, but he was really awful to her and said some really hurtful things and then all he had to do was say a couple nice words and all was well?

Lastly, the idea that a horror writer has millions of fans is totally believable. The idea that so many of those fans are so die-hard that they camp out outside his home and lose their minds over him so much? Not believable to me in the slightest.

Like I said, I really did enjoy this and loved the unique premise, just couldn't get past some of these things. I truly am interested to see what else this author comes out with, though!

From a completely awkward meet-cute to the end, I enjoyed this book.

Drake is all kinds of grumpy and I loved Kate needling her way into his heart, whilst dragging him out of his shell

This romcom is so unique and nothing like what I have read before. Yes, it does follow the typical romcom formula, but this storyline was very original.

This has everything I could possibly want in a book:
- romcom
- horror
- hilarious meet cute
- a cute dog
- delicious cupcakes

I will definitely have to check out Dylan Newton's other books, and I really hope the next book is one of Drake's brothers!!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Forever for my gifted copy!

How Sweet It Is was a cute romcom with lots of humor. I was a little surprised with the steam level. The first 75% of the book is so Hallmark-like that it just kinda surprised me when it went there. Also, the Hurdle came so late in the story that I felt like the resolution was rushed and too easy. Kate was a great character to cheer for and I loved all her planning and creativity. Drake turned out to be a real sweetheart! Overall, I though it was a really funny book with charming characters and a hilarious meet-cute. I think this would be a great book to read around Halloween as the timeline leads up to an event on Halloween night. I’m looking forward to another Matthews brother story next year.

Thank you to @readforeverpub for the complimentary arc. All thoughts expressed are my own.

“’The best part about our romance is that it’s not plotted out. I never know what the next chapter will bring with you.” Drake kissed the tip of her wet nose. “But if it’s anything like the rest of our story, I have a feeling we’ll be together until ‘The End.’”

Have you ever had a day that is so disastrous and catastrophic that you cannot possibly do anything other than laugh out of complete embarrassment? The Queen of Happily Ever After, Kate Sweet, has one of those days that thrust her straight into the arms of her new client the Knight of Nightmares himself, horror writer extraordinaire Drake Matthews, during their first official meeting. Kate is perfection personified. She never loses her cool, always has it together, and can make any event a success.

Things with Drake go horrifically wrong from the first second they encounter each other. He does not know if she is the right person to plan his book launch, and she needs to prove to Drake that she is worthy of this job so she can win the prestigious EVPLEX award. Drake has a secret and decides to use the self-proclaimed Queen of Happily Ever After to research a new book that he is drafting that is unlike anything he has ever written before.

The title of this book accurately portrays what I thought about it. It was an undeniably syrupy sweet, light-hearted read with very low angst. This story was a blast, and it kept me laughing from the beginning to the end. I had a smile on my face the entire book. Kate and Drake’s chemistry leapt off the page. Their quick-witted and lively banter was a thrilling and satisfying addition to the story. My only complaint would be that sometimes during the middle of the book that the pacing slowed down so much that it felt that it was lagging along from time to time.

This is my first book by Dylan Newton, but it definitely will not be my last. I think that fans of authors like Sally Thorne or Sophie Sullivan will enjoy this romantic comedy.

~ Michelle

This was one of the cutest books I have read all year! Kate and Drake are seemingly opposites in every way but they just work so well together. Both of them were their own person with their own careers and goals which I loved. There was so much swoon!

I have slightly mixed emotions in regards to How Sweet It Is. I'll attempt to articulate it well, but it is me after all. Ha! I finished a few days back but wanted to ensure I was expressing my opinions in the best way possible.
First of all, I was heading into a reading slump when I started this book. I could feel those "homeworky" sensations when I started anything the previous several days or pressed play on an audio. With this pub date coming though, I knew I needed to start it. I am so happy to say that Dylan's humor lanced those feelings. It was exactly what I needed to jumpstart back into reading with a happy heart.
Secondly, right off the bat, hilarious. I cracked up laughing several times. This disaster meet-cute is going to be a permanent favorite. It's an initial case of sunshine and grump, but Drake has the marshmallow interior and good sense of humor bleeding through straight away. There are so many good scenes and Dylan's wordsmithing is making her an author I will be watching for.
Lastly, I'm only slightly disappointed at the "big misunderstanding". In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I won't say much other than I wish it had been resolved more thoroughly or happened as a result of someone else's actions.
Other than that, this is the perfect read for my tastes and that minor complaint will in no way deter me from wanting more from Dylan.
Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Even though I read a lot of romance, I'm pretty particular about the kind of books I enjoy. Unfortunately, this one was a miss.

There's nothing really wrong with the characters, they just don't stand out and don't have much in the way of chemistry. I did like the idea of Drake being a horror author who secretly wants to write historical romances, but he frequently thinks about how ridiculous it is that he's writing <i>romance</i> (the italics appear in the book), and that was off-putting. Not exactly the kind of thing I'd expect in a romance book. Kate is a pretty typical upbeat, career-focused heroine who also has a sensitive side, although I do have to wonder how she got to where she is considering her track record of causing and then falling apart at mishaps.

My biggest issue is the dialogue. It feels unnatural at times; a character will make a rude remark, for example, and nobody reacts to it. I did learn a new word though: sh-medium. Considering I'm the same age as Drake and didn't have a clue this word existed, encountering it in a conversation between him and Kate felt really strange. The way they talk and act makes them feel a lot younger than their supposed age, and the entire book would've been very believable as a romance set in high school.

Then there's the drama that's sometimes just thrown in to add a little spice. The characters get super mad about something for no apparent reason, but it also blows over pretty quickly. The book is sprinkled with mentions of traumatic events that happened to side characters, but none of it is ever explored.

Happy publishing week to this one! It can put on Tuesday. Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for a copy to read and review.
Event wedding planner Kate is known for planning the perfect wedding. Suddenly her best friend ropes her into planning a best selling horror authors books launch party. From the second Kate meets Drake it is a disaster. Drake meanwhile is tired of the spotlight and wants something new. Will Kate inspire him to take his writing in a new direction?
If you are in the market for an adorable, summer read, here is a book for you! This was a slow burn romance and I adored Kate. She never gave up and knew how to plan a perfect wedding! I needed a Kate when I was planning my wedding l. 🤣🤣🤣

This book is one of my favorite romcoms this year. I absolutely adored the characters, the plot, the slow burn romance, and the funny banter. An all-around win! 

Going into this book I knew it was going to be cute, but this story is so much more. It has wonderfully written main characters and supporting characters (Dylan, please write a sequel for one of the brothers!). Kate and Drake both had depth and I love that we got to be inside both of their heads. Getting the POV of both MCs always elevates a book for me, especially in a romance.

This book is a slow burn, but there's also some instalove happening. You wouldn't think those two ideas would work in the same book but they absolutely do! The characters' chemistry was terrific and the steamy scenes were great (and pretty tame, if you're a reader who needs that). 

Although my photo features sweet treats (see Instagram post), what I really wanted to do was dig out my Halloween decorations so I could pay proper homage to Drake's horror-writing character and the launch party Kate plans for him. 💀 Drake is my new book boyfriend and I wish I could say more about him but that would include spoilers! 🤐

This is definitely one worth having on your shelf. Just look how cute that cover is!