Plot: Bran Kelly has started his solo career and writing the follow up to his first album is... not going well. Nelle had a childhood crush on Bran from his band days, but now she's a superstar and her good girl image is important to maintain. Her life also doesn't seem to necessarily feel like it belongs only to her, with the way that her Team all wants to have their own opinion. Anyway, the two of them meet up one night in secret and then they make an actual secret together.

What I Loved About this Book: I always love the creative aspects of a book about music, where songwriting is an integral part of the plot. I'm not sure why, but it gets me every time, and the way that Earnest wrote that part felt right to me. ("Right" meaning it felt like it lines up with the way Taylor Swift has talked about the songwriting process. Lol) Anyway, I also liked the dynamic between Bran and Nelle and their attempts to carve out space for them to be their whole selves.

What I Struggled With: I think this book though needed to be a bit longer. And it's apparently 384 pages, but honestly this book had a lot of individual work that needed to happen for each character and then also, the romance. So for me, I felt like Bran's interior work mostly made sense and was fleshed out on page. What I felt like was missing was a full understanding of Nelle. She was very rigid in some of her ideas of how she wanted their non-relationship to work, but I don't think I ever really understood the why. Which is part of why when the third act conflict occurred, I leaned more Team Bran. And maybe you could argue that it's just a miscommunication plot device, but it really felt like I didn't understand Nelle and that to me goes beyond miscommunication.

Who I Would Recommend This To: If you, like me, love books with a music plot, definitely pick this one up. Also if you need an angsty read, this is a great book for that!

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This book had so much potential. When I saw that this book was being described as Kristen Callihan meets A Star is Born, I knew that I had to read it. It just sounded so good and I couldn’t wait to dive into this book. But after a few chapters in, I was starting to losing interest especially with the pacing of the story. At first, I thought that maybe it was my mood and I decided to put this book down. But when I tried to pick it up again, I struggled to getting through the story. The story had been a bit slow for me and the writing just didn’t do it for me. Sadly I ended up DNF at 30%.

Loving all the rockstar romances! All the Best Nights was a great read!!

Some realities are better than the fantasy.

Coming down off his tour, an album long overdue, singer-songwriter Bran Kelly feels like everyone wants a piece of him.

What Bran wants is inspiration from no-need-for-a-last-name pop star Nelle, the blazing talent he’s been dreaming of for over a year. Ever since the magic moment she slipped her number into his pocket at an industry after-party, her breath raising the hairs on his neck as she whispered into his ear.

You’re it.

Nelle’s achieved every one of her professional dreams and now it’s time to get personal with a few hours of hot hotel sex with Bran Kelly—as long as she doesn’t get caught. Finally in the same city, on the same night, the lyrics spark…and so does the sexual tension.

Except that one night isn’t enough.

And when Bran proposes they up the ante—create something off the record, just for the two of them—they’ll have to decide how far they’ll go to keep the biggest secret of their lives.

High potential
Not developed
Next
I did not connect with them poor chemistry and to much jumping back and foward
Sorry this could have been a great book
Next time will be better

Just so you know I have read ALOT of rock star romances and I love them a lot. This book looks like its from a new author and I also love finding a debut author. She did an awesome job with this story and taking the celebrity life and showing us the pitfalls.

In this story we meet celeb pop star Nelle (I kinda imagined her like JLO). She is not just a rocker but she is also a brand and she is always on. So when she meets Bram they both fall into lust but she also wants it to be something just for them. Bram is an indepenant singer/artist when he breaks away from his band. Its really tough on him and he is just really getting started while Nelle has a lot of star power.

It was a romatic story and I really enjoyed it. It showed the bad and good side of the celebrity life and I really loved this couple. They each had their strengths and they had to figure out how to make things work in a very complicated life.

A super sexy and swoony musician romance. I just ate it up and can't wait to read more from Hanna Earnest!

"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑮𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍. 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒚, "𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒕." 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈. 𝑺𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒚, '𝑰 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒐.'"

Well this was certainly new.

This was such a pleasant read, I loved how this book was all about music, and I love music, so I loved it.

It's so well written that I got sucked into it, connected to the characters, felt Nelle's and Bran's conflicts, even though it frustrated me at times, I loved it nonetheless.

I also loved how this was somewhat of a behind the scenes of what goes on in a celebrity's life, how they have to think a hundred times before making a tiny decision that would impact their career and reputation, it's frustrating to say the least, and I loved Nelle's confidence, her need for privacy, to keep that one thing to herself.

Anywho, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading.

Thank you @netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review💕

Unfortunately, this book just was not for me. I enjoyed the idea of two famous musicians having a secret, sexy marriage. But the timeline seemed unclear, the premise of them even deciding to get married made no sense at all to me, and I felt like there was little to no character or relationship growth. It seems this is a debut novel for this author, and I would certainly give her work another try, but I would hope the next story is improved over this one.

I'm not really sure why, but I just couldn't mesh with this author's writing. The words never flowed and I couldn't keep up with the story. Maybe if the book had started at their first meetingI would've been more invested in the story. The reviews are raving though, so take this review with a grain of salt and give it a read yourself!

All the Best Nights wrecked me in the most delightful of ways and it is impossible to convey how much I enjoyed it. It’s clever (and even funny at times) but All the Best Nights is an angst-soaked, roller-coaster of an experience that left me so fulfilled and simultaneously so wrung-out.

In a genre that sometimes relies on “if they would just talk there would be no conflict,” All the Best Nights does the opposite - Bran and Nelle do talk, but that doesn’t always mean they understand each other. Bran, grieving, trying so hard, wanting so much, is slow to catch on, and Nelle is just so sharp and fast and quick to judge, but the explosion when they get together is everything. They each come with their own set of baggage, and watching how they deal with their own issues, and then how they navigate each other and the world is amazing.

The thing I most want to convey is how deftly Earnest is able to twist the emotional knife. The way she just drops in the most heart-wrenching of details as if it’s not going to cut out the heart of the reader (or Nelle or Bran) is astounding. I have read very few romance novels that manage to tie together so many little building blocks of a relationship - usually there’s one big reveal (he loved her all along because he did X at the beginning!) but here they just keep coming and coming.

One of the most relatable aspects of All the Best Nights is Nelle’s internal struggle with her desire to be with Bran, but also her desire to ensure she maintains her individuality in the face of a world which wants to refer to women only in relation to the men around them. I don’t think that you have to be a pop star to feel that, because this is a dilemma many women face on a regular basis. And sure, maybe being an internationally known pop star exacerbates the issue, but this internal crisis caused such a visceral, emotional feeling when I was reading, because it is an issue that hits close to home.

I truly, truly did try to find things I could critique for this review, wanting to be as impartial as possible. And there are small things that I could bring up, but nothing that I would have mentioned in any other book, and to mention them just for the appearance of impartiality wouldn’t really be fair to this book. So, if you like any of these tropes: rock-stars, nobody knows but us, it’s only one night but then I can’t get enough of you, enemies in public but actually we’re banging, you should definitely give All the Best Nights a shot.

Disclosure: Hanna Earnest has been a friend for a little more than a year, but I had not read this book before receiving the ARC from Netgalley.

All the Best Nights by Hanna Earnest. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publicity for the free copy of this book! It is available now!

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Romance

When I saw this book compared to A Star is Born, I knew I wanted to read it! Bran and Nelle definitely were compelling, enthralling characters. Their romance was steamy! I really enjoyed the premise of this story. I found it to be unique and enjoyable.

If you like romance books with a music/famous character premise, you might enjoy this book! This is a very steamy, racy open door romance book, so I would recommend it if you like that type of romance novel!

All the Best Nights by Hanna Earnest
Contemporary Romance
F/M Pairing
Pub Date: August 24, 2021
Content Warnings: off page grandparent death, parent blackmail (sort of), SPOILER- house break in, blood mentioned on page, possible brain injury
On page sex where genital names are used
Recommended for readers who enjoy: musician characters, great male friendships, angsty/brooding characters
Link to GR Blurb https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57515221-all-the-best-nights

Look, I love the marriage of convenience trope. It is typically so implausible, but I love the fantasy of it. Add in having to keep it a secret, yes hello I am here for it. But this book just fell apart in the end.

The main premise of this is that Bran, the male main character, is at the peak of his career but has just suffered some sort of tragedy and meets up with Nelle, an emerging pop star, for one night of sex. But the night goes to shit when he is rude to her. She’s almost leaving and he proposes to her, literally. They decide they want something for just them, not the public and then run off to get married. Then they have a lot of sex and not enough conversations about their actual relationship.

The whole deal of the marriage is that in order for it to stay a secret, Bran and Nelle can not be seen together in public. The only time they see each other is when they are in the same town. When they do meet up, it is mostly sex. They share some feelings. Nelle is raging against the patriarchal and misogynistic system that is the music industry. Bran is struggling with the loss of his Gran and his shitty dad. (His mom is never mentioned)

The first couple of chapters were meh. I asked a friend who raved about it and she said it picked up at the awards ceremony. That is about half way. So I kept reading. I was clearly entertained enough to keep reading. There were some poignant moments as their relationship deepens from just physical to emotional. But overall it was just an average read. Then in the last 2-3 chapters it takes a turn.

Stop reading if you don’t want spoilers.

Nelle has decided she wants to try to make it work with Bran after he declares his love via a song. It was a big public declaration but also secret. She goes to his house. He is there. It is dark. Then BOOM there is a break in at the house. Bran is trying to give Nelle something in a jewelry box and also protect Nelle from the intruder. The intruder hits Bran on the head with a bat. Bran is down and bleeding profusely when Security arrives to attempt to get the intruder. Help is called for, they try to whisk Bran away and Nelle wants to go with. She informs the paramedic that she is Bran’s wife and then they let her in the ambulance. HIGH DRAMA
What will happen next? Will Bran live? Will he be hospitalized? Amnesia? Broken Bones? Brain injury? Concussion? Will the EMT out their marriage? Will the paps find out???

The next chapter starts and Bran and Nelle are on the couch while their best friends are in the kitchen prepping for Thanksgiving.

Excuse me? Queue my rage. Are you kidding me? At like the 92% mark you create an external conflict of intruder causing the male main character to be pretty severely injured and I get NO hospital scenes? At this point I kept reading because I felt like I had to get some closure on this. But I got none. I don't even know how long he was in the hospital. There is some light discussion about how he might have a concussion. Then the attorney comes in and says they found the intruder but they likely can’t prosecute due to Security Steve not seeing his face. Nelle says she saw his face. Lawyer says she can't testify because she's a lying liar who lied and told the paramedic that she is married to Bran. They confess it is true. Then they love each other and the book ends.

Okay so there are a few other things that happen. But I don’t believe in their HEA. And I am mad about it. Here are the unresolved issues-
Nelle is a family person. Early on she talks/thinks about how upset her parents would be if they found out she’d been secretly married.
Bran’s head trauma. Seriously, I can't let this go.
Nelle bought Bran’s childhood home. But we don’t get to know why. Just because Bran didn’t take action against his shitty dad.
Where is Bran’s mom?
Why does Bran tell his BFFs about his sexual exploits with Nelle and then they keep talking about it? In front of everyone before THanksgiving. Like ”ha- isnt is so funny that last year Bran was stuffing Nelle on the kitchen counter” That is gross.
Why cant these two just have a damn conversation and be honest with their feelings.

Anyway, for a book that started out as a meh read, I sure had a lot to say. But the big takeaway is that I did not believe in their HEA/HFN. The author did not give me enough to believe that these two can make it long term. Plus the unnecessary break in at the end. It felt pointless and forced.

The author did intrigue me with Bran BFFS- Arlo and Cormac. I did wonder if she intentionally gave them A B C names. I think she is doing another book with one of the friends. I don't know if I will read it.

For contrast- here is A review from Kate at Smexybooks.

https://smexybooks.com/2021/08/review-all-the-best-nights-by-hanna-earnest.html

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Grade: D
Link to find book

E-galley received via Netgalley courtesy of the publisher, Carina Press

Love a good romance, this is one that everyone will like, it is def a must read. I would totally loved this book and it was so good.

3.5 stars

I really liked the authors take on Rockstar romance. I liked how this story explored more the side of this world that affects the personal and mental aspects of musicians.
I also enjoy the almost instant bond between Bran and Nelle. I liked how their relationship developed although it bothered me a little how overly mean Nelle was towards Bran. That made me not liked her that much.
Overall this was an steamy albeit angsty story that I really enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this book. It's a great debut novel. I absolutely loved the entire set up, and them keeping a secret from everyone. It was a delight and SUPER HOT.

This book - THIS BOOK - drop everything and read this immediately. I was first intrigued when I saw @jenreadsromance share her review and said something about if you would like A STAR IS BORN but without that ending. And that totally pulled me in.

And then I read it. And it totally blew me away. I want to tell you all the reasons and all the things that got me - but then you wouldn’t get the TRULY MAGICAL experience of living them for yourself as you read it. So instead I will just say - read this book. And feel free to message me as you do when you need to talk about how AMAZING this book is.

This will absolutely be one of my favorite reads of 2021 and one of my favorite romances of all time. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy. I also immediately purchased a paper copy because I need this on my shelf.

Hanna was a featured author on FreshFiction.com!
https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=11447
Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match" where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It's our great pleasure to present Hanna Earnest!

Writes:

Romance with big feelings and big moments, like ALL THE BEST NIGHTS, which pits privacy against paparazzi as two musicians try to keep their contemporary marriage of convenience from the tabloids. Rock-star-with-writer’s-block Bran Kelly and pop-star-on-the-rise Nelle are tired of the cost of fame, so they elope to have a secret: something off the record, something just for them. But when real passions threaten the fake feud they devise to protect their pact, they have to decide if keeping their secret is worth staying apart.

About:

A South-Sider first and a Chicagoan second, my interests include: overhyping my ability to ice skate (and other seasonal activities), the table with the outlet at the coffee shop, and prescription sunglasses. I love to cook and not clean, spam the group chat with inspirational Real Housewife gifs and/or Walt Whitman quotes, and—while my dog is asleep and my daughter is occupied—write books I want to read.

What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match:

Readers craving books with:

High-heat (the door is open and the lights are on)
Lots of Feelings—angst, desire, trepidation, relief, the whole gamut of emotion
Gestures of all sizes
Heroines who know what they deserve and heroes who make themselves worthy
“It was only supposed to be one night” as well as all the best rock-star tropes including:
writer’s block and inspiration
a red-carpet ruse
keeping secrets out of the spotlight
song lyrics that reveal the truth
tattoos, guitars, and Bruce Springsteen references
What to expect if we're compatible:

High-concept plots as peanut butter holding together double-decker trope sandwiches
Characters who fall hard, for better and then for worse and then for real
More than a little melodrama and metaphor
Tension, steam, and other big-ticket genre staples
Tweets about Arnold Palmers
Instagram posts showing what I’m reading and eating and occasionally writing

I liked the blurb, which is what drew me in to request the book.
However, I found that it seemed to be a hard story line to follow, when the characters were back and forwarding so much, with their moods and neediness. The expectation that they had on each other's needs and wants, were at times differing with what was actually happening and I struggled with this.
Saying that, the book was gritty, sexy and had an understanding of trying to keep a relationship out of the media, because it really is no-one's business but the two people who are in it.

Thank you to Netgalley for a chance to review this book.

I want to fist say thank you to the author and for giving me the eARC. Este libro es súper entretenido y se lee literalmente de una vez porque es imposible de parar de leer, el libro me hizo enamorarme de los personajes Nelly y bran son famosos los dos y ellos se atraen pero también están Súper ocupados. Hubo momentos en la historia que ni sabía si iban a terminar juntos y eso te hace querer seguir leyendo y leyendo. El libro es súper bueno