this just wasnt the book for me. I tried to get into it but it just wasn’t it. perhaps i was just not in the mood for it when i tried to read.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A cute women's romcom. The cover is really cute.

I neither really like nor disliked this book, which is why I won't actually go into to much detail about the storyline or characters. Honestly I don't even know why I didn't like this book more than I did. I was very excited for the story and the writing was good too. Ultimately I think I just didn't really connect with the characters and there also wasn't anything all that special about it. It's not that the MCs aren't likeable or not well written, but there wasn't anything that really stuck out to me. Overall the book was fine and I'm sure other people might love it and I'm really sorry I didn't like it more. It truly isn't a reflection of the quality of the book, it just wasn't for me.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well written with good character development but very predictable to me. I just couldn’t get into it. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There could not be a better book to read during these 2021 Olympics and the focus on mental health and media coverage of sports celebrities.

Mark "Stings" Hastings is a champion rugby player and the fodder of tons of gossip. Hayley is a wedding photographer and acquaintance for some time. Their friendship and then romance was natural and progressed believably, but the real meat was the emotional and mental issues that both of them face. Hayley has been hurt before and her inner monologue is something that almost all women could relate to, while Mark has so much pressure on him to perform.

It had a great twist ending and was a wonderful read.

This book was pretty predictable but still a good quick read about second impressions and second chances.
Thank you Sophia Karlson, Backlit PR and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I’m becoming a fan of this author book. This was good. Really enjoyed this story. I will read more. Go read. This book was just my type.

The romance was slow burn which I don't dislike but this whole book was a bit slow moving for me. Also a bit predictable, but it was a cute story.

A slow-paced sports romance about a rugby player with a no so stellar image and she's a photographer that prefers to hide behind the lens.
This was an okay read with a somewhat predictable outcome.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mark & Hayley’s story was a page turner. Mark was beyond swoon worthy. Mark & Hayley had great chemistry and terrific banter.

Just My Type is the first book that i have read by Sophia Karlson, but won’t be my last! I can’t see what adventures she takes us readers on next.

I voluntary reviewed this book.

(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3892676304)

I can’t thank you NetGalley team and Backlit PR enough for giving me a chance to have this book on my NetGalley shelf.
This is my first read from Sophia Karlson and phew!!!
This is the kind of slow burn romance I much looking for this day. You know, the type that made you swoon and butterflies flutters from inside you almost like you fall-in-love-at-first sight thing?
Hayley and Mark story is a hell of a ride. Yes, it was that good. I admired at how the author slowly revealed Stings full name. I felt bad and impressed at Mark’s determination at pursuing Hayley. I like how he is gentleman enough despite the fact that Hayley is being way ridiculous. And when they finally got together.. oh.. you don’t say.
And oh, we all need a Grant and a Katie in our life. -wink-

3.5 Stars
I happen to be a sucker for people who have been misunderstood due to "Branding, Social Media, and Odd Situations. Having these people deal with the ramifications and then work out how to overcome them is a win.

In Just My Type by Sophia Kartson, we have Mark Hastings, a past rugby player who had all the trappings of being the Hot Bachelor, never being with a woman more than once, and having the fans either love him or troll him. This is a man who is not his rep at all. His dearest dream is to have a wife and family.

Hayley Brooke has a career that allows her to use her photographic talents. Have a camera in her hands, and she can conquer anything. Photography is her passion. The other passion she once had is gone...no men, they all suck. From being cheaters to yucky blind dates to blind dates who never show up...Don't get her started.

These two have a history...and Mark wants to change it because he, unfortunately, was the blind date that didn't show.

Mark has the opportunity to make things better and works to change Haley's feelings for him. Circumstances cause Mark and Haley together and before they realize what is happening...walls are coming down and feelings are getting real.

It pains me greatly...but this one is winding up on my DNF shelf.

To be fair, I’m not generally a big fan of books that use first person POV, which is the storytelling technique used here. But this one was especially cringey to me because nearly all of the hero and heroine’s inner thoughts were about how hawt the other was and how that hawtness was affecting their body parts. Less Pecs More Plot is motto and after 50% of the book, very little of substance had happened between the characters. Add in a cringey nickname for the hero (nicknames also being something I’m not a big fan of) that was frequently paired with hashtags (#alsonotafan) and this book never got a single bit of traction with me, not from the very first paragraph of the first page.

This is especially disappointing for me because I was completely blown away by Sophia Karlson’s very first book, Perfect Mistake (released in June 2018). It was compelling with both the relationship storyline as well as the suspense storyline and stayed away from all the cliched writing techniques/styles so many new authors use (like spending a lot of time on the chemistry of the couple instead of any substance). I put this author on my “watch for books by these authors” list...but none of her subsequent books came to my attention, and because I have the attention span of a squirrel when it comes to my reading - as well as a lot of authors on my “watch for these authors” list - her five other books have somehow managed to slipped by me. I did a quick preview read of her other books and not a single one of them was as off-putting in the sample chapters as Just My Type. Hopefully that means this is just a one-off and not a new way of writing…

I’ll definitely give Ms. Karlson another read, but this one is a no for me - it just wasn't my type.

* thank you to NetGalley and Backlit PR for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

What I liked most was the slow burn of the romance, each not willing to admit to themselves what they were feeling. I truly would recommend this!

Have you ever been misunderstood? Have your intentions ever been misconstrued? I'm sure most of us have been unfairly judged a time or two and Ms. Karlson did a tremendous job in eliciting the feels and emotions from these types of circumstances. I loved both characters so much and I felt truly invested in their story. Hayley and Mark's characters were both written with real depth and understanding. They're both completely engaging and endearing but it was Mark that broke my heart. I wanted them both to have their HEA, but it was Mark I cried tears for. We all have scars and baggage and fears and that's why this book is so relatable. I've read a few other books by Ms. Karlson but I must say this is my favorite by far! I can't wait to read more from this author! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Sophia Karlson and Backlit PR for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Just My Type is a standalone Rugby romance.

Mark Hastings aka Stings is a famous Rugby player in South Africa. Hayley is a wedding photographer. Years ago, there was a misunderstanding and Mark brought a date to his blind date with Hayley. She could not look at or talk to him since. But when a party with mutual friends happens, they are thrown together again and Mark looks at her in a fresh way. Despite their history and his womanizing reputation, all is not what it seems.

Both Hayley and Mark have been left by their previous mates. Both have major insecurities about trusting again. Combined with Mark's anxiety disorder, it becomes difficult to see them together. This book is a slow burn!

I loved the honesty of this book, though sometimes I found Hayley a bit wishy-washy and confusing. I enjoyed the funny texting and hashtags. I literally laughed out loud at some of the scenes. I also found Hayley's roommate really unlikeable. I understand her protecting Hayley, but I felt she was a bit nasty at times.

This is the first book I have ready by Sophia Karlson. I am giving it four stars because I felt it was slow at times, but I would definitely read this Author again.

*If I had to nitpick something, I would say the cover doesn't match the description of the characters. In the book he is a huge and bulky rugby player while she is a curvy girl with curly hair*

Loved this book! Such a cute and easy to read story that will fly by. It is definitely a weekend type of read book when you need something relaxing and funny.

Disclaimer!! This is not my normal type book. I normally read history or regency romance type books. I have gotten on a contemporary lately but this book reminded me why I stick to history. They don't swear, or talk about sex or alcohol or the world like we do now. I read to escape this time period so this didn't work for me. There was a lot of swear words and crude talk about sex and body parts.
I enjoyed the romance part of this, the tension and the back and forth between them. The idea of what happens to people in the news or on social media. Lots of lies can become beliefs. I love that she showed so clearly that this man was nothing like what was believed about him.

Sophia Carlson writes a story that is captivating and fresh. Mark (Stings) is not at all what everyone (including me) thought he was. To write a strong male character that had some striking weaknesses was unique and made the “dance” between Hayley and Mark so much more interesting.

What I liked most was the slow burn of the romance, each not willing to admit to themselves what they were feeling. What I liked most was the writing style. The transitions were smooth. The secondary characters were woven into the story in such a way that they became familiar rather than a distraction.

Of course I loved how it ended but also wasn’t quite ready to leave these characters.

Just My Type follows Mark "Stings" Hastings, a pro rugby player in South Africa, and Hayley Brooke who is a wedding photographer. The two first met when they were supposed to be each other's blind date to a party and Mark shows up with another woman leaving Hayley the odd girl out. She writes him off and it is quite some time later when they actually connect again and this time in a good way. Mark is all in from the start and Hayley is hesitant to believe Mark is as good as he seems. Is he her type or not?

I liked this book, but had hoped for more. I liked the South African setting and the rugby/sports aspect. Mark especially had an interesting storyline dealing with the pressures and anxiety caused by his career. What I wished for was more relationship building. This is a slow burn, which I like, but it doesn't seem like much is happening. We get a lot of thinking about the other person and physical attraction and longing. We learn that they are communicating across the miles through phone conversations but we don't really get included in those moments. We are told that they are growing closer, but I just didn't feel it. Lastly, there is misunderstanding/non-communication stuff toward the end of the book. I'm not a fan of that trope even though I did like how it was resolved. I truly enjoyed epilogue at the end. All in all, it was a good romance and even though it wasn't all I hoped it would be, I will still tell others who I think would enjoy it to check it out.

My sincere thanks to Backlit PR and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it.