Thank you to the publisher, Forever, and Netgalley for the egalley of Dylan Newton’s novel How Sweet It Is.

HOW SWEET IT IS to find a book you can’t put down, even at night walking the dog on the front lawn.

📚 First off, I love books about books! Our hero, Drake Matthews is a bestselling author known for writing horror novels and also known as the King of Nightmares. His newest book is about to be launched and he’s past due dates for drafts on his next book because he can’t get another ( & completely outside of his normal horror) story out of his head.

👠 Everyone loves a good meet cute right? Well this is more like a meet disaster. From the moment Kate Sweet, aka The Queen of Happily Ever Afters steps onto Drake’s property to plan his book launch, everything that can go wrong goes wrong. Seriously, she stabs him with her high heel! It’s hilarious and I got a little second hand embarrassment for Kate. It felt super relatable and like something that would happen to me. 😂

♥️ This was a fun romcom full of heart and hilarity. In Kate’s business of event planning she likes to give her clients an “Aww moment” that they’ll never forget. I think The author gave a couple aww moments of her own in the story that makes this book stand out for me.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I was excited to revive an ARC for this book because it seemed like a book I would love. It had all the makings of a great story. A fun meet-cute, strong characters, lots of drama and a budding romance. While this book has received great reviews from others it just didn’t do it for me. Even with the set up of a classic romance novel it just fell flat. For some reason the story just wasn’t believable to me. The conflict was overdone and the romance was underwhelming. Obviously lots of people loved it so I think you should read it and decide for yourself!

What a sweet love story. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the very end. I do hope we get more from these characters. This was my first book from this author, but it will definitely not be my last. I can't recommend it enough.

Kate Sweet is an event planner. Not party planner, EVENT planner. Coming from a family if surgeons she's always felt as if they see her job as less than. She works hard and has made her event.planning business a true success. This year she has her eye on the top event planner award, and to help her best friend offers her the event of a lifetime. An author book launch. Only problem.is the writer writes horror novels, which couldn't be further away from her usual glittery sparkly events. The job would show off her versatility however so she takes it. That's how she meets the author Drake. And you'll just have to go pick up a copy to see what happens next! 😉

I adored this book! The characters were so well built they felt like actual people. The writing is witty and funny and the story is crafted so well you can't put it down. As a plus, its centered around Halloween! This may seem like a small thing, but when that's your favorite holiday you notice the only holiday anyone celebrates in a.novel is Christmas. It was nice to pick up a book that happens on Halloween.

Yes its a romance book so yes there's a happily ever after. But isn't that why we pick them up in the first place?! Aside from that, the story is well written with believable scenarios and superb character development for even secondary characters. Five big stars for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dylan Newton, and Forever Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Event Planner, Kate Sweet is used to planning weddings. She’s very good at what she does but when her best friend asks her to take on a different type of event, Kate agrees. Little does she know, this event will be the event to change her life.
Drake Matthews is a best-selling writer of horror books. With his latest book being turned into a movie, his publicity company wants this promoted big and in spectacular fashion. The only problem is that Drake has a secret, one that could blow everything up. When the Knight of Nightmares and the Queen of Fairytales join forces, anything could happen.
How Sweet it is by Dylan Newton is an absolutely delicious book. Kate and Drake are personable, lovable and completely delightful. This whole story is just fun, with laughs through out. I loved this book and did not want it to end. I can not wait to read Dylan Newton’s next book.

I received this novel as an advanced reader copy through net galley. I truly enjoyed this contemporary romance. Drake and Kate had so much chemistry and I thought the idea of him being a horror writer was clever and fresh. Recommend this wholeheartedly as a quick, fun, read!

Kate meets Drake when she is hired to plan a launch event for his new book. She normally plans weddings, but wants to plan the event for a horror author to try and win an award she feels would justify her career choices to her parents. Both have issues from their past that may influence whether they give each other a chance.

Both are great characters and I liked how it is told from both of their points of view.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

If a math textbook was marketed as perfect for readers of Beach Read, I’d probably read it. So obviously I was immediately sucked in when I saw that in the description of How Sweet It Is. After finishing it, I can see why it was marketed this way, there were definite Beach Read feels and similarities. Two individuals working on their craft and clashing somewhat.

How Sweet It Is had less of the rivals to lovers, but still had the tension associated with this trope which was fun to read. Kate and Drake were good protagonists, neither overly annoying or angsty, but I did feel like they were a little flat. The bones were there for really exceptional characters but the final bridge to great was missed. Drake had the marine background and the scary set up, there was more there that I wish we had delved into. His conflict with the producer seemed a little trivial in comparison to his past and what the author could have gone into. Kate similarly seemed a little two-dimensional. But what was given up for character development was made up in the scenes we get. They’re very fun and enjoyable – like the Halloween carving contest, and the side characters, even though you wish you see more of them are very memorable with Drake’s brothers and family. I do wish Kate’s best friend had been in there more, it seemed more of a Drake centric book for the side characters we got from Kate being seen only minimally.

Overall, it was a really fun read that leaves you happy and laughing along the way.

A cute love story between Kate Sweet, an event planner, and Drake Matthews, a horror writer. Kate is used to planning happily ever after weddings while Drake is the Knight of Nightmares. They begin working together on Drake's new book launch culminating in a Halloween event release.

How Sweet It Is tells the story of life, love, family, and career. As much as Newton wrote about Kate Sweet achieving the "ah" factor in her events, I didn't get that from this book. The plot was sweet, the characters banal, and the circumstances different but not extraordinary. It was a sweet book but nothing that stood out to me as a memorable moment.

Overall an easy, fun read. Great for the beach (or halloween!)
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Sweet is an event planner known for creating dream weddings with the perfect “Aww!” moments. Drake is a novelist known by his fans as the Knight of Nightmares who needs someone to plan his next book launch. Their two world collide (literally and figuratively) and each day together takes them closer to their own happy ending.

I loved the heartwarming intimacy and playful banter between Drake and Kate. Dylon Newton’s writing draws you in with each chapter and the story was a fun, romantic, sweet escape. Also, I can definitely see a set up for another book – Imani and Zander. Fingers crossed because I am so here for it! I was so happy I was given the opportunity to read this book. Once I started I couldn’t to put it down.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Kate Sweet is The Queen of Happily Ever After, an event planner known for creating perfect weddings for her clients. Somehow, her best friend has convinced her to plan a launch extravaganza for bestselling horror writer Drake Matthews, aka The Knight of Nightmares. After a chaotic first encounter, Kate and Drake spend most of their days together, Drake (secretly) using Kate for inspiration in his next novel, while she plans the perfect event. All the while they’re trying to ignore their growing attraction to each other.

Dylan Newton’s debut romantic comedy does not disappoint, I swear I had a permanent smile on my face the entire time I was reading How Sweet It Is. I was lucky enough to come across this as a read now option on NetGalley. I loved how relatable Kate is, and Drake definitely was unexpectedly different than his horror writer profession would lead you to believe. Almost all of their encounters had me giggling out loud, and swooning.
How Sweet It Is played on a few different emotions, obviously I laughed a lot, and there was a specific incident that brought some tears to my eyes and a little wanting to strangle Drake out of frustration (but only for a second). All in all, I LOVED this book and it’s perfect to bring to a beach or poolside this summer!

A romance between a horror writer and an event planner, there were a lot of delightful details in the book (the event details alone), but the actual chemistry between the characters never felt completely there. I wanted more banter between the two, so that I could see how they changed each other.

I was provided with an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Why are so many rom-com heroines redheads? From what I understand, redheaded people are somewhat rare, but you’d never know if from reading recent rom-coms. Also, so often writers feel the need to make their heroines petite. Other than those minor annoyances, I enjoyed this book. I liked the chemistry between the main characters. I also appreciated that the inevitable misunderstanding that always occurs 70-80% through rom-coms was fairly easily resolved in this book. I can imagine the author writing a sequel featuring the main character’s best friend.

This book is a cute contemporary romance between a horror author and an event planner, set in third person person past tense dual POV (my favorites) and with one open door sex scene.

This book is really fun! I loved the concept and the autumnal vibes--both the horror writer aspect and the setting (western New York state during fall) will make it a great seasonal recommendation for Halloween, especially for people who don't want something really spooky/scary. This plot is also fairly low stakes, so it will be a great rec for readers who don't like a lot of angst, and it hits all the typical romance beats, so it should satisfy most readers of the genre. Some side characters (Drake's brothers) were really fun and added some humor to the story.

Now for critique. The dialogue felt artificial in some places and immature in others (for example, too many exclamation points). The characters are likable but neither one really pulled me in or made me feel attached to them and their happiness. I think their backgrounds needed to be delved into a little more to get readers more invested (for example, explaining how Kate decided to go against family tradition to become a party planner, and more info on Drake being a hopeless romantic rather than just hinting to it). The plot lulled a little in the middle. Basically, this is a cute romance that just lacked a bit of oomph, making it a little forgettable.

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fun book.

This book y’all👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I can tell you this will be a favorite book of mine this month.

How Sweet It Is is such a sweet romance novel. It’s definitely a more tender and sweet story as opposed to super steamy in my opinion, but I loved the plot of this book. It’s an opposite attracts romance and I love how Kate and Drake meet.

Kate Sweet is an event planner - she mostly plans weddings. But when her best friend asks her to plan a book launch for one of her clients? How can she say no? Drake Matthews writes horror novels and his new novel is being adapted to a movie, hence the big book launch. But Drake has other ideas forming in his head that are only more inspired after he meets Kate. How will the Knight of Nightmares fare the plot twist of the Queen of Happily Ever Afters?

This is Dylan’s debut novel and I’m already ready to read more of her books. This one will be published July 13 and were told another book of hers will be out summer🙌🏻 (Please tell me it’ll be about one of his brothers?🙏🏻🤞🏻)

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Go preorder yours now👏🏻

This book was absolutely adorable! It was a total impulse read, I just saw it while scrolling, and decided it looked decent. I needed something light and fluffy, and that fulfilled my craving perfectly!

My favorite thing about this was definitely the romance. It was cute, and had me hooked. It was insta-love, but it didn't bother me too much. I was too busy laughing at all of the ridiculous interactions our main characters had. Seriously, their meet-cute was more of a meet-disaster. It was all in good fun though!

I also really loved both of our characters. The way that both of their careers tied in was perfect, and it added an element I absolutely adored. I also loved that they talked about things. The miscommunication trope in books irritates me, so I was happy that this book stayed away from that.

I was in the mood for a sweet read, and this was the perfect book for that! It had me laughing super often, and I absolutely loved the romance!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book and the pace the romance progressed at. The couple starts out with a really bad meeting but have to work together and learn things about each other that change how they feel about each other. There is physical attraction but that isn't the only thing driving the romance. The effect that his interactions with Kate had on Drake's writing of his secret romance novel were fun. Kate & Drake are likeable characters.

There were a few things in the plot that didn't feel organic to the characters -- I won't mention them because they are spoiler-ish -- but they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

For people who care about things like this, there is a steamy part but this romance is more personality driven than sex scene driven.

How Sweet this book was! Welcome to the world of Kate Sweet, an event planner extraordinaire who is roped into hosting a book launch for the mysterious horror writer, Drake Matthews. The characters were fun, their meet cute flirty, and the premise of the book was exciting enough to keep me reading. However, at the end of the book, I felt that there could have been so much...more. More exploration into Kate's relationship with her family, more tension between the main characters, and of course, more steam! This was a fun read, and I'm sure that readers will enjoy witnessing the layers of horror writer Drake Matthews as Halloween approaches!

“Love is probably the only thing on this planet worth fighting for. Worth losing everything for. You’re a fool if you let pride stand in your way.”

What do you get when The Queen of Happily Ever After meets the knight of Nightmares? Sparks.

Kate Sweet is an event planner who, as a favour to her best friend, agrees to plan a book launch for one of the most prolific horror writers in the world. But he's certainly not what the rumours make him out to be. Can Kate and Drake keep their relationship professional, even as their feelings grow?

This book oozes with cheese. I know, I know, it's chick-lit ~romance~, what do you expect? And How Sweet It Is definitely delivers!

The book really found its groove about halfway through. The romance build-up was believable (thanks to a few time jumps, rather than having our leads fall head over heels in, like, a week), and the drama made sense to the story. Sure, there were a few moments of doubt from Kate and Drake where they presumably couldn't tell for sure how the other felt about them - when it was pretty dang obvious - but other than that, I really believed the final conflict. Kate, who never wants to let anyone down, who has something to prove after not following in her parents footsteps, and Drake, who was screwed over by his ex and terrified of rejection.

The first half of the book, however, dragged. I found it too expositional for my taste. There's a fine line between having characters that ramble and having long speeches of needless description, and both Kate and Drake crossed it a few too many times for it to be a passed off as a character trait. Honestly, this was nearly a DNF for me until things started to pick up, and I don't DNF things lightly.

All that said, and despite the obvious issues, I enjoyed both Drake's and Kate's character. Kate didn't step down when faced with challenges (or a slimy ex), and Drake was just so dang sweet. Maybe it's the reader in me, or maybe it's one of those quirks people don't like to admit, but I write/act out scenes in my head, too.

I wish there had been a bit more character development. I think that's the trade-off when writing a dual-POV, 3rd person novel; everything was very plot-based, and readers don't really get the chance to see characters deal with their own faults, their own insecurities, their own feelings. It makes them seem a bit one-dimensional.

Overall, a purely middle-of-the-pack romance, a quick fluff read that tickles your fancy.

This book was filled with surprises; I loved the plot twists and turns! I also enjoyed getting a glimpse into the career of a horror author, that is not something I have ever considered before. The chemistry between the main characters was perfect and the ending tied the book up nicely.