3 / 5 stars

This book was exactly the sweet escape from life I needed.

Drake Matthews is a talented writer who is struggling with life in the spotlight. Kate Sweet is an upcoming extravagant and extroverted event planner who wants to make a name for herself. When the two come together, it's pure chaos. But even in the midst of all the craziness, they start to see that maybe them being together isn't so crazy after all.
I loved how much Kate cared for her friends and family. When things got screwed up, she was more worried for her best friend than for herself. Her ideas were a little all over the place, I must admit, but she just wanted to do the most for her clients and I really respect that.
I got a bit irritated with Drake and how often he would just jump to conclusions (like dude calm down it's not that deep) but he won me over by the end. He wasn't a celebrity who wanted to be the center of attention and that was a pleasant change from your typical, famous character.
The spice really came out of left field hahaha. I honestly wasn't expecting it until I was in the middle of the passage and thought "oh wow ok this is happening". But, it was tasteful and not overdone. I liked that it was used more to develop the relationship rather than be a filler passage.

This is a super quick read that will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. It's light-hearted and perfect for when you just want to escape the world for a bit.



Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

The cover and title caught my eye and I knew it was going to be a cute rom com. Just what i needed in between reads. Kate Sweet is an event planner, her speciality was weddings and give you that "ah" moment. When asked to plan an event for a book launch of the mysterious Drake Matthew's, Kate felt this was exactly what she needed to win a prestigious event planning award. Their very first meeting proved that it wasn't going to be smooth sailing.

This would be a great vacation '/ beach read so put it on your packing list.

How Sweet It Is is a fun, quick read that truly captivated me from the start. Kate— a professional party planner/wedding planner—and Drake— A Stephen King-esq horror writer— were hilarious to watch as these opposites attracted. If you like hilarious rom-com with a dash of spice, this book is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever publishing for the ARC!
All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This book was a total impulse read for me and I’m SO happy I gave it a chance. What drew me in was the synopsis. A wedding event planner and a horror book writer? YES PLEASE!!

I fell in love with the characters instantly. Their first encounter was more of a meet-disaster rather than a meet-cute and it had me rolling.
I usually don’t care for insta-love tropes in romances but this was the exception. Their romance was absolutely adorable and I enjoyed everything about it.

If you’re looking for a good pick me up book to read, this is it. I found myself reading it slowly because I didn’t want it to end!

Dylan Newton just made it to my auto-buy author list. I cannot wait to read more from her!

Adorable and endearing rom-com from an author who is new to this genre (but has succeeded in every way with this first effort within it). This book has the most fantastic and unforgettable "meet-cute" between the two protagonists. After that, getting to know Kate Sweet and Drake Matthews is just plain fun to the last page. This is not a novel full of dark twisty bits or overwhelming dark drama. Rather, the characters proceed through relatively endearing ups and downs in a compelling narrative arc. For those of us reading rom-coms as an escape from real life right now, How Sweet It Is seems like the perfect potion: it is warm, captivating, and upbeat, like the characters it depicts.

I'm very grateful to #netgalley and Forever books for letting me have an early glimpse of this book as an e-ARC, and I was happy to provide my honest review in return.

Great romcom novel! The writing was everything! I honestly have not read a book this good in a while!
Steamy fun brilliant cute funny...... Rolled into one!

This adorable rom-com is the perfect upcoming beach read!

Wedding event planner Kate Sweet and horror suspense novelist Drake Matthews are thrust together (quite literally) in a disastrous first encounter.

As Kate plans his upcoming book launch they find themselves in the most outrageously hilarious situations.

They will have to work together to overcome their biggest hurdles in order to find out whether the Queen of Happily Ever Afters and the Knight of Nightmares have a chance at their own happy ending.

This is the perfect lighthearted read for a warm sunny day. Full of light, cheesy romance, and humor.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, sweet rom-com from Dylan Newton! Kate's the owner of a wedding planning business specializing in that "happily ever after" moment. Drake's the bestselling and famous author of horror novels about to launch his next book with a spectacular event. Will they find love together? (Yes, yes they will.)

While the initial meet-cute seemed a bit contrived, the characters were engaging and had realistic expectations for their relationship. Kate and Drake had to figure out how to balance their needs and careers and figure out how to pursue new opportunities together. The side characters were also engaging and I hope to see more of them in future installments, especially the best friend, mother, and brothers.

I also liked the book's atmospheric settings that range from Long Island to a historic Victorian to a fall festival to to a memorable scene in a graveyard. Ms. Newton clearly loves upstate New York; reading this book made me want to visit in the fall. In all, a cute read by an author I'll return to!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy! This story was so sweet and cute and a much needed break and distraction from my thriller type books I usually read. Kate is such a lovable character in this book and she seems so cute and fun. I loved watching the relationship develop between Kate and Drake throughout the book. I will definitely recommend this book to my romance novel lovers.

From the cover, synopsis, and title, How Sweet It Is is simply brimming with cuteness. As soon as I saw this novel, I was sure that it was the book for me.

Kate Sweet runs an event planning business that specializes in happily ever afters. When her best friend asks her to organize a book launch for a famous horror author, she’s a bit uncertain that she’s the right person for the job, but Kate is nothing if not dedicated to her job as a planning, creating, scheduling maven. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime for her to branch out and get noticed in her industry.

What could go wrong does go wrong when Kate meets Drake, the Knight of Nightmares. Their meet-cute moment is more of a disaster. What ensues is a story that is filled with mishaps, hijinks, and misunderstandings. Throughout all of their bumbling interactions, there is an attraction that develops between the two main characters, and as their work relationship progresses, Drake is certain that he’s found his muse for his latest writing project.

How Sweet It Is was just as the title predicted, it was sweet. It should have been just what I was looking for. It had all of the key elements that I usually enjoy, but for whatever reason, I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. I wanted nothing more than to become immersed in the story and their developing relationship, but whenever I fail to connect with the characters in a novel, the story just seems to fall flat. I hate that I didn’t love it, but I’m sure that many readers will.

*3 Stars

An easily engaging and breezy read. I enjoyed the opposites-attract vibes between horror writer Drake and wedding event planner Kate. They had sweet flirty banter and good chemistry. 3.5 stars

Kate is the perfect event planner who’s great at happily ever afters. Drake is an author who writes horror stories who’s known as the Knight of Nightmares. When Kate ends up planning Drake’s book launch, what could go wrong for a purely professional relationship? From the very beginning mild chaos ensues, and they both feel like they can benefit from their friendship, Drake can work on his new romance novel, with some inspiration from Kate, of course, and Kate can prove herself as an amazing event planner and maybe win the award that will give her the validation she so desperately wants.

I read this book in a single day. I loved the premise, Kate’s confidence, Drake’s unexpected kindness and really found myself enjoying it. I love a story where the characters can be themselves and don’t cause more issues because they refuse to discuss their feelings, and I was so happy to see these characters work through the unexpected and trying to stay on the same page. There was a good focus on their relationship while still sharing their friendships, family, and careers. I love a good opposites attract story and this one delivers!

A fun and sweet forced proximity romance.

This is just what I look for in a romance novel, a slow relationship build and the conflict is solved like adults rather than being so far over the top it seems childish. There is mild steam, always a plus ( I would have liked more, but that's just me). All-in-all a great summer beach read. There is enough character backstory hooks to keep you intrigued, but they don't over run the story.

The duel aspect of following both Kate and Drake and the way their lives became intertwined was well done. The side characters did feel a little one dimensional but that just me being picky.

A cute read! Funny and it has some steam. One R rated sex scene for those who want to know. It was like a hallmark movie with more adult content and I think it worked. The ending will leave you happy and satisfied.

How Sweet It Is was such a *sweet* book! Kate Sweet is an event planner. (do NOT call her a party planner) that gets roped into helping her best friend with a book launch for the "Knight of Nightmares" Drake Matthews. Their meet-cute is super embarrassing and so fun. I read this one really fast, and enjoyed it a lot! It was fun, had some emotion, but overall was a breezy-read!

Kate Sweet is an event planner who has it all together. When she agrees to plan a book launch event for horror writer Drake Matthews, chaos ensues leading to Drake firing her. Kate wins Drake over by agreeing to help him with his next book and to run everything about the event by him. As the two spend more time together, romance blooms, but can Drake trust that Kate really loves him for himself.

How Sweet It Is is a lovely romantic comedy which takes place mostly in a small town setting. Drake is a horror-writing cinnamon roll and Kate is a smart business woman with a soft side. The two main characters see each other for who they are and support each other. I also enjoyed the side characters - Drake’s mother and two brothers and Kate’s best friend Imani. I hope that we’ll see stories for them all in the future,

What piqued my interest in this book was the horror writer angle. I love horror books and someimes romance so this was a perfect match for me. When Kate is between weddings in her event planning business, her friend asks her to plan an event for a new book. As Kate wonders which romance writer it might be, her friend informs her it's a famour horror writer known as The King of Nightmares. There are funny moments in the book along the way. The only part that bothered me was when Kate leaves behind important paperwork at a cofffee shop. She is the queen of spreadsheets so it didn't seem realistic that she would be so forgetful. Maybe leaving them in a cab that speeds off or a folder that flies away seems more likely. Also I wish the cover showed more of the horror aspect, bats flying around or pumpkins. Overall a fun and different take on the romance novel!

I was sucked in to this story due to it being marketed as 'perfect for fans of Beach Read.' I read Beach Read a few weeks ago and loved it so figured this would be right up my alley...

This story features wedding planner extraordinaire Kate Sweet, and 'Knight of Nightmares' horror writer Drake Matthews. Kate finds herself planning a book launch event for Drake's latest book and from their very first (disastrous) meeting, you know this is not going to be a smooth ride.

I did enjoy the characters, I liked that they were both focussed on their careers and were working alongside each other. There were a few very cute moments and some that were quite steamy. I did think that the relationship building/tension/angst that makes so many book romances/relationships draw you in and cause you to turn pages desperately at 3am, was lacking somewhat. They seemed to meet, have a couple of interactions and then it's a bit of a skip to them off on a night away for 'work' and bam things are happening. It takes away some of that delicious anticipation.

I loved the brothers and would 100% read a sequel if it featured them.

Overall, this story lives up to its name. It's very sweet and its a nice easy, happy ready for anyone who is looking for something light and fluffy.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't know Dylan Newton at all and got into this novel without knowing what to expect. It was a very nice surprise!
Kate is a talented event planner who knows how to make other people's lives magical for a day. Drake is a writer of scary novels, which everyone imagines as a vampire sleeping in a coffin (I'm exaggerating a bit lol) but he's a far cry from that stereotype. On the contrary, he gives off a lot of sensitivity, doubts and romanticism. His meeting with Kate will turn his life and career upside down, she will unwittingly inspire him with feelings and scenarios imbued with love. Their attraction is immediate but they will not give in to it right away. I loved their verbal jousting, their game of seduction, their clumsiness, their humor, their benevolence ... They are two generous and adorable characters who help each other in their careers and become friends and then lovers. I loved learning about Drake's writing process and his challenges for Kate, especially in the graveyard. I loved Kate's imagination, her ideas, her caring relationship with others. I loved Drake's family, his mom and his brothers. The scene where they meet made me laugh and melt.
In short, this novel makes you happy and joyful, the story of Kate and Drake is really cute. A nice little story that is good for morale!

*I received an advanced copy for free in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this! Kate was so much fun - especially when she was a hot mess. I also appreciated Drake. So often we can get trapped in boxes that others create for us, and it can be so difficult (and even scary) to get out of them. I do wish they had talked more about their conflict - it felt a little two nice & wrapped up with a bow. Overall, I loved all of the characters and much of the conflict felt very real and like it could actually happen to normal people. Super easy and cute read.