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.

"How Sweet It Is" lives up to its name: it's a sweet, charming story that was a lot of fun to read. The pacing was good, with some parts where the plot slowed down a bit in all the detail of Kate's event planning and Drake's writing. The premise of the horror writer who is more than his stereotypical image meeting his match with a wedding planner roped into planning his next book launch is original and fun, but the best part is that it lets the character's inherent goodness shine through as Kate helps Drake and Drake helps Kate. I would definitely read other books by this author.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To preface, I LOVE love. This book encompasses everything I love in a romance novel: great characters that compliment each other, a love story, a nemesis, laughs, and just me wanting more while reading.
This was such a wonderful book to read as my first official Net Galley read.
Dylan Newton did an amazing job writing this story and I cannot wait until Summer ‘22 for her next novel. Bravo!
5 stars & definitely recommending this one to my romance book club.
Thank you Net galley, Dylan Newton, and her publisher for offering this as a “read now” option this past weekend.

This story was incredibly sweet and charming. Told from the POV of the lead female and male character, you watch a romance unfold that is so endearing, fun and flawed. The characters in the story are great and there were quite a few laugh out loud moments.

Oh, this was good. This was so good. As soon as I read the description for How Sweet It Is, I added it to my ‘2021 releases’ goodreads shelf so I could keep an eye on it for when it comes out in July. But then it was added to NetGalley, and I could not wait to dive into this story.

Both Drake and Kate are wonderful characters. Honestly, everyone in this book is. Dylan Newton did such a great job explaining everyone in a way that allowed me to form a visual of them in my mind (which I love to do as I read), and gave each character such a fun, unique personality that they all stood out so well. Specifically, I loved every moment with Drake’s brothers, Ryker and Zander, and would love if there were companion novels to go with this book just to see more about them.

I feel like I don’t say this often with romance, but this book surprised me. It’s expected for a romance novel to involve a ‘complication’ before a happy ending, and I had a couple guesses on what could happen - I was wrong. And I love that I was wrong, because I loved the character development that happens because of the complication. Sometimes, it feels like a book just has a complication just to mix things up a little bit. That wasn’t the case here. I feel like it really helped define Drake as a character, in an extra way.

I don’t mean to just gush this entire review, but I have to add one more thing - the romance. Oh, my word. I loved that it wasn’t rushed, but was clear from the beginning that Drake and Kate were intrigued by each other. I also really liked that despite that there obviously was a physical attraction, it was so much more than that. They truly brought out the best in each other, and parts of themselves that had been hiding away (knowingly or not) for so long.

This was a fun, romantic, incredible read. I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out, and I know that I will be purchasing a physical copy for myself to keep on my shelf for rereads. I can’t wait to read more by Dylan Newton.

Thank you to Forever & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

I was immediately drawn to How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton based on the cover, and I am so glad I picked it up! This was such a sweet and addictive opposites attract romance with instant attraction and a great slow burn. I absolutely loved it and didn't want to put it down. It was a fun, light escape and a definite page turner for me.

I really appreciated the main characters in this story. Drake Matthews is a horror author known as the "Knight of Nightmares," and Kate Sweet is an event planner known as the "queen of happily ever afters." I loved that they were both career-driven, realistic, and believable. I thought the choices of profession for the leads was more on the unique side, as well, and I enjoyed the plot points that came from both characters' careers. Of course, I can't go without mentioning that the tension and chemistry between them was wonderful and I couldn't get enough!

I felt that the overall plot and story was engaging and fun, combining "aww" moments with humor and chemistry. The pacing was perfect for me, and it was a nice slow burn with enough development to keep it interesting. This was the first book that I've read from Dylan Newton and it certainly won't be the last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing an ARC of this title which did not affect the contents of my review. All opinions are voluntary, honest, and my own.

The cover and title caught my eye for this rom-com romance. Kate Sweet is a talented event planner. Her best friend lands her the job of planning the book launch for Drake Matthew's (the Knight of Nightmares) tenth book. The event is set for Halloween and Drake is very much a Steven King type author but with hot abs. There is of course a cute meet, misunderstandings and a few embarrassing incidents that move the story quickly along.

There are several things to like. Kate is wonderful, positive and very organized. She is willing to try new things and will do anything to get the job done including lying in a crypt to give a good description for Drake. The titles of Drake's book are very fun and Drake's family give extra depth too. Drake was just okay to me as the male lead, I love that he secretly wants to write a romance novel but his continual downplaying of his own work and referring to it as freak shows and other negative terms got repetitive. Also he seems to overreact especially to the final dark moment. The relationship was an insta-attraction which felt rushed to me.

This book seems to be setting up a romance series probably to include the other two brothers. I would gladly read those as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for a copy of How Sweet It Is in exchange for my honest review.

The recipe:
A dash of "Castle"
An ounce of "The Wedding Planner"
3 cups of a whole lot of fun!

Kate Sweet needs to plan the big book launch of Drake Matthews to snag a coveted EVPLEX award and Drake is in desperate need of a muse to help bust through his writer's block. When the two of them spend a much time together as humanely possible hanging out in mausoleums and cooking breakfast, what do they expect to happen?

I really really enjoyed this book. The banter between the two characters is funny and adorable, the flirtation is steamy, and the will they, won't they plot line is like a roller coaster ride. The supporting characters of best friend, Imani and brothers, Zander and Ryker, bring their own refreshing humor to the book, making it even more of a delight than it already is.

If you like Well Met or Only When It's Us, then this book is perfect for you!

What happens when the "Queen of Happily-Ever-After" meets the "Knight of Nightmares”?

Kate Sweet is an accomplished event planner well-known for creating the perfect “Aww!” moment in the dream weddings she meticulously plans for her clients. As the Queen of Happily-Ever-After, little did she imagine that she would be roped in to plan a book launch event for a horror writer as a favour for her best friend, who happens to be the author’s publicist. With an unfortunate reputation as the Knight of Nightmares, popular novelist Drake Matthews is in actual fact, a really nice guy who is far from the ghouls and monsters he writes in his horror novels. When their first meeting descends into disorderly chaos, Kate’s well-ordered life is thrown off course, while Drake gets inspiration to explore a genre he’s never even dreamed of writing before.

I cannot do horror stories, but a rom-com with a horror writer as one of the protagonists? That’s do-able! This book is the perfect blend of romance and comedy. I absolutely loved it! It’s been a while since I’ve read such a delightful rom-com that was equal parts romantic and table-thumping hilarious.

This is my first book from Dylan Newton and I really enjoyed her writing. The story flowed smoothly and I really liked the characters of Kate and Drake - they’re so cute! I also loved the solid friendship between Kate and Imani, as well as the supportive kinship between Drake, his brothers and their mother.

This is a charming, light-hearted read with little angst (until towards the end of the story) that will likely bring a smile to your face as it did to mine.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was really sweet and cute. The love story between a wedding (or sorry, event 😉) planner and a horror author was unlike any other romance books I’ve read. I liked the horror descriptions, and liked that Drake wanted the genre to not be seen as cheesy because I think that genre can easily settle for jump scares and cheesy plots. I love the strong friendship and respect between Kate and Imani. I love the banter between the Matthews’ brothers. The scene where Kate and Drake meet had me smiling and laughing and I wish more of the book felt like that scene. It seemed like the middle of the book lacked content and that everything important happened in the first and last 60-ish pages. I felt the heat and connection at the beginning of the book but then it sort of fizzled to me. I still wanted them to end up together but I wasn’t desperate for it to happen RIGHT NOW like I’ve felt in other books.
The dialogue between Kate and Drake after he signs autographs at the Writer’s Guild conference seemed stilted or just a bit awkward. I know Drake prefers writing over speaking in person and it could be chalked up that, but that scene was a little hard to read.
All of this to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read it in less than 2 days I think.

How Sweet It Is indeed!! This is such a fun, enjoyable romantic comedy with just enough spice for this reader. Horror-writer Drake Mathews and event planner, Kate Sweet are the perfect combo of salty and “sweet.”

It was so apparent what a good fit these two are despite their obvious differences. Nothing that could happen with Drake’s fans could frazzle Kate and Drake’s portable job make the obvious hurdles to love melt away.

I’m not a huge rom-com fan normally, but I really appreciated that this story was not over the top with silliness. Although their meet-cute totally had me laughing.

This author did a great job of painting a vivid picture for her audience. I loved all the details of the town and the event plans. And, there was such terrific character development that I now want to read stories about all Drake’s brothers!!

I loved that this is told in dual POV because having access to Drake’s thoughts just takes the romance to a new level! And you don’t take his once-bitten-twice-shy hesitation as disinterest. And what reader is not interested in the inner thoughts of a hot author?

This book has a little bit for everyone - you will appreciate the writing as you laugh, cry (that $100?! *sob*), blush and even want to strangle Drake for a hot minute. Really enjoyed it!!

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and these are my honest opinions.

This was a cute story! I loved the trade off on how one part was fun and frivolous to the horror writer hahaha!
The characters complemented each other perfectly! And the "Aw" moment was so stinking cute! I will definitely read others by this author!

A fairly sweet romance about a horror novelist and the event planner working on his latest book’s launch. The chemistry between Drake and Kate Way was interesting enough to keep me engaged. I liked Drakes brothers and Kate’s friend Imani and think it would be interesting for the, to get their own stories. I did feel at times that there was too much exposition in the middle of characters’ conversations which did not feel natural at all. Overall though it’s a light, fluffy way to spend an afternoon.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this book! This book was funny, lighthearted, but also had heartache and heartbreak! And it had some goid steam to it!! Lol all and all it was a great read! I definitely recommend reading this one! Its well worth the read! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

This was a fun weekend read that stayed pretty lighthearted throughout. There are quite a few things that one might expect from a rom-com such as a slightly silly first meeting, many misunderstandings, embarrassing situations, and of course romantic moments. The side characters are very much on the side, but that does mean you get a focus on the main characters. The premise is really fun with an event planner and a horror writer. That allowed for some clever scenes and details. On the surface, Kate and Drake seem to have nothing in common, but over time, they find more and more to appreciate about each other. There were no huge surprises, but that's what can be comforting about reading a rom-com--anticipating the smiles and kisses that are most certainly on the way.

How Sweet it Is by Dylan Newton is a pretty classic meet-cute romantic comedy. Kate Sweet is an event planner-extraordinaire, an up-and-coming, career focused professional with big dreams--the most immediate one of which is to win a prestigious award for her business. The problem is, weddings don't usually make the cut, and that's her stock in trade. (The Met Gala won the previous year. Quibble: wouldn't the Met Gala win, like, every year?) Drake Matthews is a moody, reclusive horror novelist--think Stephen King, but young and hot. Kate's bff works for his publisher, the person in charge of his huge, splashy book launch quits, and voila! Kate is on the job!

The story itself moves along at a pretty brisk pace, and the humor and romance are done well. I found it lacked some tension. I'm not altogether clear why these people couldn't get together from the jump. She's trying to stay professional, ok, sure, but she doesn't ACTUALLY work for him. He got burned in his past relationship so he's wary, ok. Still, I'm not sure I was convinced at the barriers and misunderstandings. The Big Misunderstanding at the end I also felt was a bit of a misstep. I think it's a fine line for one character to say things to the other character that lead to "we're broken up for good" without crossing a line and saying unforgivable things. I kind of thought some unforgivable things were said, to be honest.

I believe this is the author's first book. I think she can work those problems out with more experience and, unless I'm picking up something that she wasn't actually laying down, this is the first in a three brother series. I look forward to reading more.

I'm excited to share my very first review of an ARC! I have to admit, I have always been an avid reader of ratings and reviews before I devote any money or time towards a book. I've often joked that I should be able to add @Goodreads to my Goodreads list with the amount of time I've spent reading the wealth of information and recommendations there. That being said, I was a little nervous to read a book with a promising enough description but very few reviews.

I needn't have worried, and I'm happy to lend my own feedback to this one to help other readers choose it in the future. How Sweet It Is by @authordylannewton is a solid contemporary romance/romantic comedy perfect for readers looking for a quick, light-hearted romance like Beach Read by Emily Henry. It's the story of an upscale event planner who finds herself roped into planning a last-minute book launch for a successful horror novelist who struggles with being pigeonholed as the "Knight of Nightmares." It's lighthearted, sweet, and funny in a way that is awkwardly hilarious but also totally believable. The angst is low, the readability is high, and maybe I'm a sucker for a hot author hero.

How Sweet It Is will be available July 13th. Check it out!

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