What a cute premise - a horror author works with a wedding planner to create a book launch for his new release, all set against the backdrop of a charming small town.

Kate Sweet is a wedding planner known for delivering over-the-top weddings with “Aww!” Moments for her clients. She is in between events when her best friend asks her to do a book launch event for a best-selling author. The only catch? That author is Drake Matthews, master of the horror genre and known as the Knight of Nightmares.

Their meet-cute is the stuff of nightmares (requiring bandages!), but the attraction is there from the beginning.

What I loved:
💕 low-stakes, low-angst romance read, set in an almost Gilmore Girls-esque small town
💕 the horror author and wedding planner pairing is original and makes for some hilarious settings (including a near-kiss in a mausoleum!)
💕 the creative process for both the hero and the heroine is interesting and descriptively written

Watching Kate and Drake fall for each other is adorable, and you’ll be rooting for them the whole time. If you are looking for a new read with a unique pairing and a hilarious meet-cute, you cannot go wrong with picking up this new book (releasing on July 13th).

Thanks to @NetGalley and @ReadForeverPub for providing and advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a super sweet rom-com about an event planner and a horror writer. Drake and Kate are so cute together! I almost gave this 3.5 stars, because I did feel like something was lacking. (If I were Kate, I would say it needed a bigger "aww" moment) But it was a really entertaining read, so that pushed it up to 4 stars.

The conflict in this book was very small, which isn't always a bad thing! Sometimes you just need a cute light read where nothing major happens, and that's okay. So, if you are looking for a sweet, easy read, I recommend this book.

This is a book I will definitely be recommending to other readers if they're looking for a true rom-com; there were a lot of hilarious moments in this, the pace of the book was quick (almost too quick at times because I didn't want it to be over as soon as it was!), and the chemistry blended just the right amount of heat and softer romance. It's a phenomenal debut from a new-to-me author that I'll be looking to shove at everyone when it finally debuts!

This was a wonderful debut by Dylan! I absolutely loved the dynamic between Drake and Kate! As a fan of the macabre, it was fun to see some horror mixed in with my romance. Low grade spice level. Quick easy read, that I would recommend to friends!

I was a little hesitant with this book, just because I’d never read anything from Dylan Newton, but I’m so happy I was wrong.

A quick and fun read, with plenty of aww and funny moments throughout.
Newton did an amazing job making me fall in love with these characters, Kate was a loveable dork with an attitude but not to the point where you’d cringe every few minutes, and Drake was the tall, dark and brooding who doesn’t show his true feelings to anyone, even though at heart he’s a big ol’ softy. While the trope can be overused, it didn’t feel cliche.

The love story, while a bit of a whirlwind, didn’t feel rushed or one sided at all. The pacing felt a more natural than most romance novels, and Drake asking Kate to participate in research for his book was one of the scenes that really sold me on them as a couple.

I can’t wait to read more from Dylan Newton, They will definitely be an instant buy for me!

4.5⭐️ Overall

✨Thanks to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review✨

DNF @ 24%

This book isn't terrible, but I did not like either of the characters or the plot/writing. For a romance novel I need to be able to rally behind the characters. I see potential for this one to grow on me, but I just was not feeling it and I'm trying really hard not to force myself to finish books I'm not interested in.

*thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

How Sweet It Is was so good! Both Drake and Kate are wonderful characters. They are fun, they have their own issues to work through, they are strong, and they are great together. I loved them and I loved all the supporting characters as well.

I appreciated the fact that this wasn't straight insta-romance. It did happen fast, but over the course of a few weeks, not immediately, which I appreciated. I could have done with a little more steam, but the steam we got was great!

This was a fun, romantic read. I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out, and I can’t wait to read more by Dylan Newton. I really hope she writes more with Drake's two brothers!

Thank you to Dylan Newton, Forever Publishing, & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I really hate giving negative reviews, but this book did not do it for me. You know it's time to DNF a book when you dread reading it and can only get yourself to read a few pages at at time. I haven't not finished a book in a long time, but 65% through I have decided to throw in the towel. I feel a little bad because I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I just don't forsee myself enjoying the rest.

This is supposed to be a rom-com, but I didn't find it funny or witty. The romance between the main characters felt pretty non-exisitent and frankly, I felt very awkward while reading this. Many cringe-worthy moments made this book hard for me to get invested in it. Honestly, I'm not sure how to rate this because I didn't enjoy it and didn't finish it. Maybe someone else will love this one, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

How Sweet It Is, is a charming, quirky, slow-burn romance. The plot follows Kate Sweet, a wedding turned event planner, and Drake Matthews, a bestselling horror novelist known as the "Knight of Nightmares", whose book launch she is tasked with planning. After a catastrophic first meeting and Kate momentarily being fired, Drake brings her back to help him not only with his upcoming book party, but to help with the secret romance novel he is writing.

Things I liked: While the book borders on an extra slow-burn, the chemistry between Drake and Kate is perfectly written to keep you invested as the two gradually give into their shared attraction. As a reader, you become desperate to see who will give in first and how! I found both characters to be extremely loveable and perfectly matched. The way that Newton crafted their different perspectives and worldviews into her writing was expertly done. It was refreshing to have Dylan and Kate be confidently and comfortably themselves, both individually and with each other. Lastly, really great secondary characters!

Things I didn't like: The end of the book felt a little bit rushed. I would have liked to have a bit more time for the resolution to breathe, and for the characters to fully flesh out their feelings/motivations in coming back together.

Overall, How Sweet It Is, is a light-hearted captivating read that you will probably finish in one sitting because you can't put it down. I look forward to more Dylan Newton books in the future!

Fast paced and fun! This was a delightful refresher after reading some denser fantasy books. Kate is a type “A” event planner who is trying to branch out from her usually wedding events and show her range at planning other things and Drake is an introverted horror writer who feels like he’s been type casted into a specific genre but is too scared to step away from it. The two have a very chaotic and funny meet cute when Kate is selected to plan Drake’s book launch and of course romance ensues from there.

I really loved the characters in this book. Both Kate and Drake are really earnest about who they are and it was really refreshing to read. Their romance progressed sweetly and there were no games played or misunderstandings about feelings and I really appreciated that.

What I didn’t love, however, was the pacing of this book. While the romance did progress sweetly it also seemed to be moving too fast. Which in turn made it hard to connect to because the readers aren’t getting enough of the scenes that would justify the feelings they were having for each other.

I also, didn’t love the “big” conflict at the end of the book. I felt like several things that happened were out of character for both Drake and Kate and it made it hard to believe their actions from that point on.

Overall, this was a cute romcom and I enjoyed my time reading this and definitely would pick up something else by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I probably should have known better based on this synopsis but I really did come into this one fully expecting a gruff, grumpy male MC and an overly girly, type A female MC (I don't know I read horror writer and wedding planner and here we were) but I loved loved loved these characters from the beginning and getting both their POVs throughout the book really helped PLUS a scene early one where they discuss their biggest fears put SO much of their core into perspective. Newton was able to create wonderfully driven characters and I think that is where this book really shines.

I'm always hesitant when blurbs include "for fans of..." but in this case, I do think it fell well within the Beach Read vibes. Characters trying to step out of the box they feel was created around them, acknowledging and overcoming past experiences, and phenomenal side characters that I would 100% read a sequel about (wink wink, more Matthew's brothers please)

I did feel like the ended was too rushed. I remember thinking "wow there isn't much left and yet we have X and Y and Z that I feel all still need to happen" so I do wish we got maybe an extra couple of chapters at the end. Not that I felt items were missing, but I wanted a bit more time at each of these "checkboxes" at the end.

This is such a charming, romantic story! Event planner Kate finds herself planning a book launch for a famous horror author, Drake. The characters are so genuine, including the supporting characters, and the plot definitely keeps you turning the pages.

This book is great if you are in the mood for a lighter, funny read.

You meet Kate who is an event planner. She is sweet and hilarious. You watch the (un)fortunate events that play out when she attempts to organize a book launch for an author. I really enjoyed her character. She is very charming with her innocence and she made me laugh multiple times. I also really loved Drake’s character as well. I loved the chemistry between the two couples.

Overall, it was enjoyable. Definitely a feel good read for me.

All Kate Sweet - master event planner - wants, is to win an EVPLEX, and when she lands the job of planning popular horror author Drake Matthews' next book launch, she thinks she can do it and finally prove to everyone that her job is a lot more serious than simply putting on a party. But, after an awkward first meet, sparks start to fly between the two as they spend more time together and learn more about one another than they ever expected to.
This book was an adorable colleagues/friends to lovers and it was really what I was wanting to read. Kate and Drake were really cute together and I thought they had loads of chemistry in an opposites attract kinda way. This was also a very quick book and I found myself speeding through the chapters.
Both main characters had jobs I found really interesting to find read about (Kate being an event planner and Drake a horror author) and I loved the way Drake found his inspiration in Kate. That was very sweet.
I am not someone who always enjoys the 'conflict' section at the end of a romance book (I just want everyone to be happy!) but even I do think the conflict at the end of this was a little bit rushed, even just an extra 10 pages of Kate and Drake sorting things out would have been good.
All in all this book made me laugh and smile a lot and I will be telling everyone I know who likes adult romance to pick this up when it comes out in July.

I don't think I can rave enough about this book. It made me smile and want to hug the book and that is what I crave in my rom-coms! The chemistry was so good and the writing was flowing along the whole time!

I really enjoyed this book! It was funny an charming, and I read it in one sitting. The concept was great, the main character owns an event planning business, and she mainly does weddings. She’s agreed to put on a book launch for a famous horror writer, and the situation gets crazy fast.
I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute, fun read! I enjoyed this story so much, and I devoured this book in about twenty-four hours. I think anyone looking for a sweet, fun romance will enjoy this book. The characters are really relatable and real, and I found the love story element of the book believable and engaging. Overall, I was very happy with this story!

Cute story with an easy to follow story line. The characters were very lovable and you liked them. Definitely a weekend type of book.

There were many individual parts of this book that I liked, but I didn't really enjoy how they fit together. I liked both Kate and Drake individually, they were really likable and I wouldn't mind hanging out with them. However if these two were my friends there is no chance I would try to play matchmaker for them though.

They are set up for a slow burn romance I found myself incredibly underwhelmed with when it finally 'heats' up. While they make for a believable team trying to set up his book event and attending all the (unrelated) events Drake got her to go to, I couldn't really believe the moments that, I guess, were supposed to be romantic and relationship developing. Especially since most of these romantic moments do not get the breathing space to actually make me feel anything, as they are directly followed by some joke or awkward moment, taking me out of the situation entirely.

The general tone of the book is slightly chaotic and over the top. From a series of slap-stick like injuries to his mother who's only memorable character trait is that she want's to see her son married, it feels like a caricature at times. Again, I could probably like this but paired with a very slow burn romance and low-key romantic moments, this story overall feels dissonant.

How Sweet It Is is a quick, sweet romance. This story was interesting because it was from both of their perspectives. I loved that he's a horror writer who writes romances while she's a party planner. The writer integrated both characters' jobs to create a great story. It was wonderful to see Kate and Drake's romance blossom in such a short time. A fun, engaging read with a hint of spookiness.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.