This books was fully of self sabotage and back stepping as Violet try’s to navigate the world after walking in on her husband and their neighbour. Violet soon meets Dex after he responds to a call about an illegal bonfire (aka Faiths coping mechanism) the symbolism is obvious. Dex douses the unhealthy fire between Faith and her ex while igniting his own.

Libby Hubscher's If You Ask Me follows our main character Violet, an advice columnist that goes by Sweetie, after she finds out that her husband has been cheating on her with a neighbor. As she is taking vengeance by burning some of her husband's treasured things on her lawn, the fire department arrives, and she meets love interest Dez. The story follows Violet as she navigates her destroyed marriage alongside her new feelings for Dez.

I was extremely excited for this book. Hubscher's debut novel Meet Me In Paradise ended up being one of my favorites of 2021. Unfortunately, If You Ask Me did not have the same five-star feeling for me.

Overall, the book was enjoyable -- there was nothing so egregious as to put me off entirely. However, I found that I got annoyed many times over several aspects of the book. For example, Violet is almost too accident prone. I think she ends up in the hospital two or three times throughout the book, along with a number of other incidents that don't require the hospital. I feel like Hubscher was using these accident events to move the plot along, but it felt overused.

In concurrence with that, Dez seems to be everywhere. For someone that Violet had never met or seen prior to him showing up to put out the fire in her yard, he sure does show up wherever she is. At a favorite lunch spot? There's Dez. At the hospital? Dez. Out for a walk with a friend? Yep, Dez is there. It felt like she was just casually running into him everywhere. Not a big deal, but kind of annoying. Plus, I found I loved the dates that they actually planned together far more than the casual run-ins which seemed awkward.

On the plus side, I loved Violet's relationship with her friend Kyra, even though there certainly were some professional/personal boundaries mixed. But, Violet's co-workers seemed to also be her best friends. I also enjoyed the chapters that included Violet's advice column letters and responses. It was a fun touch, and many of them tied in somewhat to things going on in Violet's life.

Violet goes through some dramatic changes through the book, and the timeline for those changes seemed unrealistic. I think the book take place over just a couple of months. However, I understand this is just a novel, and not everything is going to be realistic.

As I said, there was nothing hugely wrong with the novel, but it just didn't hold the same sentimentality of Meet Me In Paradise. I wonder if this is just a case of "second book syndrome." I will certainly continue to read Hubscher's novels in the future.

Final thoughts: Give this a read if you're interested in closed-door romances that also deal with other heavy topics like infidelity, infertility, and anxiety. But, if it's your first Hubscher and you're not sure where to start, I would 100% recommend reading Meet Me In Paradise first.

Thank you to publisher Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

If You Ask Me is a cute rom-com that tells the story of advice columnist Violet, who has just found out that her husband is in love with their neighbor, and in order to get some vengeance, she lights all his clothes and valuables in a bonfire in the front yard, which bring the local firefighters to her house. A hunky fireman named Dez sees that she really struggling with what’s happening and they develop a friendship that turns romantic, despite Violet getting “burned” by her husband (see what I did there lol)
Violet grows a backbone and gets snarky in her advice column which makes makes her super relatable and her column blows up and that leaves her looking back on her relationship and realizing that maybe what looked picture perfect wasn’t so much. She definitely goes through a roller coaster of emotions and kind of angry even, which is to be expected given her situation, but it almost costs her everything. In the process, she looks inward and sees what she wants for herself going forward and the sweet and gorgeous firefighter may just play a big part in it.
The advice column sections were a fun addition. If you were a fan of Dear Abby or Anne Landers back in the day, you’ll probably enjoy this. Just be aware there are several trigger warnings-cheating, miscarriage, alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety.
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adored (I.e. sobbed) through most of Meet Me in Paradise and I couldn’t wait for If You Ask Me. This was much different, but I still really enjoyed it.
Violet receives good news about her advice column, Dear Sweetie. She goes home early to share with her husband and finds him in their bed with a neighbor. Her live understandably falls apart a little bit. She sets her ex’s clothes on fire and meets local fire fighter, Dez. Despite all of her drama, they’re drawn together.

I’m not usually a fan of quick love/romance, but I loved how sweet and caring Dez was. He was always willing to be there for Violet when she needed him. They developed a friendship that quickly blossomed into more. I really appreciated how he tried to constantly show her no one is perfect or has all of their life together. Violet had a lot of baggage from her marriage and her parents’ marriage that Dez helped her chip away at. I loved seeing his friendships at the fire department. This was a quick read for me and it kept me engaged the whole time.

I will update with a link when I share to my bookstagram account.

TW: infidelity, infertility, miscarriage, anxiety/mental health issues, panic attacks, gaslighting, alcohol abuse

Actual 2.75

Do not let the cover of this book fool you - this was far from a happy go lucky rom-com. If You Ask Me (ha), just did not work for me.

After catching her husband with another woman, Violet writes a drunken and scathing article and has it published to her magazine under her pseudonym. Once it's revealed that Violet is the writer behind the advice column, Violet starts to spiral.

I think it's hard for me to disassociate from this book because I've been on the other side of infidelity. While some of Violet's responses made sense, and I'm sure there is a plethora of other women who would react in similar fashions, but Violet started to completely self-sabotage and had zero regard for those around her. I just could not wrap my head around her decisions.

The hero in this book, Dez, also did not work for me. They met while she was under duress, and for me (this may be a bit dramatic), seemed to take advantage of the fact that Violet was not 100% herself. While there were interactions that were trying to paint him in a better light I just couldn't buy it. To me they had zero chemistry, their relationship was overshadowed by the hot mess that was the FMC.

Ultimately this is a story of personal growth; a woman who overcomes heartbreak and rediscovers herself, but honestly took the most roundabout way to get there.

While the story itself didn't work for me, it may work for you <3. Bumping up to a 3* on GR as the writing was well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for this ARC; I am voluntarily writing this review.

This was such a cute read which is about an advice columnist's finds out her husband cheated on her and burns his stuff where then a firefighter shows up. I love reading books that have main characters who are writers or readers. I feel that it's so much easier to relate to them. Hubscher is a great writer and they did an amazing job with the storyline, setting, pacing, characters and romance. All the main factors when it comes to writing was amazingly done. The thing that got this book was 5/5 stars was because of the message that was received from this book and how the main character had to go through it.

The main character in this book is Violet who is an advice columnist and was recently cheated on by her husband. She had to go through so much in this story and not because of the cheating but because she was forced to be perfect and had some emotional trauma to go through. I enjoyed her character development and I felt really attached to her character. Then there are some great supporting characters like Dez. He was caring and understood what Violet was going through that I was shipping them so hard because they needed each other. I really enjoyed the way the characters were written and how they grew so much in the story. The romance is friends to lovers with 1/5 level of steaminess.

The ending was greatly well done. I felt that this book was more of a personal growth type of story than a romance story but it was still great. I think that a lot of readers can somehow relate to Violet in some way (or not of course) because of how she was expected to be. I recommend this book to Weather Girl and The Roughest Draft.

If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher

When Violet Covington's life blows up on her she has a bonfire of her husband's favorite things in the middle of her neighborhood cul de sac. Enter, Dex, an almost too perfect to be true fireman, to put out the fire in the cul de sac while he lights a kindle of interest in Violet's heart. How can a stranger be so nice and caring when her husband is such a critical buffoon and makes her think she is incapable of doing anything right?

Before the story starts, the author has a list of trigger warnings: infertility, miscarriage, anxiety, infidelity, and alcohol abuse. The story has friends, family, and a closed door romance and from the TW's you can see that it touches on some serious issues. It has it's funny parts, too, even when dealing with heartache and trauma.

Violet is secretly Dear Sweetie, the author of the most popular advice column in the state of North Carolina. Her column is well read but has been tame to this point. Now, once her life falls to shambles, with the help of alcohol, Violet goes scorched earth, literally in her cul de sac and figuratively in her column. She says things she'd never say if she were sober. After all, her husband always told her she was a messy drunk. He also told her a lot of other things, how to dress, how to act, all her faults listed so that she wouldn't do anything he didn't like. Her favorite anything usually fit well on his "do not do, so not wear, do not enjoy" list.

Even as Violet torches other parts of her life, often with the help of alcohol to bring down her "good taste" barriers, Dex is there for her. It's so easy for her to be around Dex and he'll be around her as much as she will allow. But Violet has too much to fix about herself and her life, especially since her husband has convinced her that she's the problem in almost any situation.

We get to know a lot of what Violet is thinking and learning through the answers she pens to questions in her column...she even makes up some questions to get some answers out into the public although, once again, drunk writing, just like her other drunken escapades, seems to backfire on her, taking collateral damage. And, she knows that Dex would be perfect for her, but she also knows she'd destroy his life just like everything else she has destroyed. Can she be happy when she feels like she has to give up everything she wants?

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

Violet's life implodes when she walks in to discover her husband cheating with a neighbour. Having been in control of emotional outbursts her whole life, Violet suddenly allows her instincts to rule. Her first? Burning her cheating husband's things of course. Firefighter Dez finds Violet among the ashes, and quickly realizes there is more to her than meets the eye. Violet is know for good advice, writing a column called Dear Sweetie will do that. Now having no filter Violet's column becomes even more popular as she struggles to figure out how to put her life back together. This was a solid rom-com with a good cast of characters. I personally would've like a little more focus on the blossoming relationship between Violet, and Dez but I still enjoyed the narrative.

3.5 stars

Violet Covington's "Dear Sweetie" advice column is on the brink of syndication. Excitedly, she goes home early to celebrate with her husband, Sam, only to find him in their bed (ewww) with another woman. She finds out that he has been seeing this woman for a few months and wants to make it work with her.

What happens next is a bunch of Violet spiraling, taking a lot of her anger out in her work and writing.

I read the author's prior book and loved it. I liked this book but didn't get the same emotional feelings. I felt bad for Violet, because she didn't deserve to be cheated on, but some of her acts were kind of extreme. Good thing one of her acts brings sexy firefighter, Dez, into her life. I enjoyed when he was in the story as he was a calming presence for Violet.

There are some serious trigger warnings in this book--infidelity, infertility, miscarriage, anxiety and alcohol abuse. The author warns of these triggers in the beginning of the book, so if these are difficult subjects for you, please take care.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was expecting a rom-com and was a little surprised that this didn't have that vibe, but I still enjoyed this read. Here's my take on it.

The opening is so realistic and heart wrenching! I really want to see good things in Violet's life.

Violet is the columnist for "Dear Sweetie" — and there are moments that made me cheer, cringe, and laugh through this advice column. She highlights the double standard women are put under and is delightful. Violet is also on a destructive path, and I was interested to see how she would change over time.

I also loved some of the people and support group in Violet's life. Her childhood friend and boss, Kyra, is supportive and wants the best for her. But she also will tell the hard truth, and her partner chimes in too. I don't fully relate to Violet's mother, but I can understand how she presses forward and Violet's reluctance for an honest conversation. And the fireman? Well, isn't he on fire? Genuinely kind, helpful, cheerful, understanding, and gorgeous! I loved the reveal of his backstory.

This book is realistic without a sugarcoating, and that's why i enjoyed it. I wouldn't call it a sweet romance but more of a closed door romance (unless you count the scene of Violet's betrayal - which is still pretty mild).

I think contemporary romance readers will enjoy this book.

Ever feel like everything is going wrong and burning some stuff in the middle of the street will make you feel better? This book will both confirm that and warn you away. A hot EMT, Dez, and a suddenly single advice columnist, Violet, are finding their way around each other in this adorable, sweet romance. I highly recommend! A great read, especially if you like (slightly) older heroines!

"If You Ask Me" by Libby Hubscher
Release Date: 3.8.2022

Violet Covington pens Dear Sweetie, the most popular advice column in North Carolina. She has the polite answer for everything. When she decides to surprise her husband with homemade sushi, Violet is shocked to see their neighbor, Shelley, in their bed!

Violet turns to her column to get out her frustrations; it goes viral! Violet then burns all of Sam's belongings in a front-yard bonfire, Dez, a hot firefighter shows up to extinguish the fire. There is definitely chemistry, and they begin a fling; Sam is begging Violet for a second chance.

I figured this would be a light chick lit read, but it was not. It was a roller coaster of emotions. Violet was being self-destructive, so I was so happy when Violet realized her actions were toxic. This is not a rom-com but a women's fiction novel, focusing on infidelity, miscarriage, and gaslighting.


#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleybooks #ifyouaskme #libbyhubscher #romancereads

I loved this book so much. My second book of Libby’s and she’s an auto buy for me now. Absolutely loved the romance Violet and Dez. I loved the underlying issues that were focused on that pulled the story together and made it serious, yet funny. I think I need Dez to bring me croissants and coffee. ❤️

Watch my live interview with Libby: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/0a3bac2d-f38e-4bf7-baf3-088d7ab92647?ref=social&tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv

A huge thank you to Berkley Romance for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️ 1🌶

Please check CWs!

What I LOVED: I absoluted adored Libby Hubscher’s debut, Meet Me in Paradise, and it was one of those books that was hard to forget especially when I was victimized by the cute cover, thinking it’s gonna be a cute romance, but it ended with me in tears.

This book definitely reached my expectations but despite expecting an equally swoony romance as MMIP, I love that I got a powerful and inspiring women’s fiction novel instead. Libby’s writing is just as beautiful, witty and engaging and I’m excited for more from her!

I loved Violet! She’s a columnist who used to give sweet, polite-sounding advice for a living. That is until she’s hit with the worst tragedy a married woman could ever experience: catching her cheating husband in the act. And since then, she’s changed. Between giving out sassy, rage fueled, brutally honest advices, burning her husband’s things and getting into all kind of mishaps and drama, I really enjoyed how the portrayal of her journey towards healing and moving on is filled with chaos, mistakes, regrets and all, making the experience as genuine and relatable as ever.

The way her feelings were made valid by those who support her was everything I needed. Sometimes when we’re at our lowest, we just need people to acknowledge us, not judge us and I love that Violet had friends like that.

Towards the end, it made me realize that keeping things in can hurt more than letting go ever will so despite all the consequences that her actions led to, I’m glad she had that an outlet for her emotions.

What I LIKED: Amidst all these, her coworkers aren’t loving this version of Violet but luckily, she has Dez, the sweet firefighter who is enjoying this new found confidence she has and is on board with her every step of the way. I loved their dates and just every adorable moment together. Especially the croissants!

With the idea of Violet giving out advice when she’s the one who really needed the advice she was giving was, I found myself taking in all the words of wisdom and stories she was giving. The “Dear Sweetie” chapter entries were the most helpful and probably one of the things I enjoyed most reading this book.

What I DIDN’T ENJOY: Maybe because I expected more swoon moments like in her debut, I was let down by how this was more of women’s fiction than romance but I still liked it nonetheless.

I absolutely hate the cheating trope with a passion so that first parts of this gave me so much rage. The audacity of those involved in gaslighting and making the victim seem over emotional was straight up annoying.

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT IF YOU LOVE:
• inspiring stories about self-discover and self-acceptance
• writer heroine x firefighter hero, friends to lovers
• small town romance
• closed door romance

IF YOU ASK ME – Libby Hubscher

Jove
ISBN: 978-0593199442
March 8, 2022
Romantic Comedy

Raleigh, North Carolina – Present Day

Newspaper advice columnist Violet Covington thought her marriage to Sam was solid. That is until she came home from work early one day and discovered him in bed with their neighbor Shelby. Now Violet’s life—both personally and professionally—is out of control. It doesn’t help that she has a chance for her column to go nationally syndicated. It doesn’t matter that her mother-in-law hates her. What matters is that Violet needs to get rid of Sam’s prized possessions, including his suits and other personal items. And she is going to do it by dragging them outside and torching them using his favorite brand of booze as the accelerant. But the fire department is called after the fire gets out of control. It’s firefighter Dez to the rescue. He is kind and considerate and turns out to be a neighbor too. He brings her coffee and croissants. Pretty nice guy, right? But Violet isn’t looking for a new guy. She still isn’t over why her life has gone off the rails.

Things turn from bad to worse when her personal life—including naming names—ends up in her advice column. Now everyone knows she was cheated on. While Violet struggles with what is going on, Dez seems to always be there picking up the pieces. She should reciprocate but she’s having a hard time. Will Violet finally figure out where her life is going?

Violet is having a lot of bad luck in IF YOU ASK ME, and it only gets worse. Her career is potentially about to take off if the national syndicate company picks up her column, meaning it will appear all over the country. Meanwhile, finding Sam in bed with Shelby devastates her, leading to her doing some uncharacteristic things. The first thing she does is destroy Sam’s favorite stuff, but after the fire department is called, it leads her to Dez. Then she has a run-in with her mother-in-law, which leads to a visit to the ER. Violet should appreciate his kindness, especially after he takes her home after her stint in the emergency room. Their relationship in IF YOU ASK ME builds slowly, but that is expected because this tale is about Violet’s new journey as a newly separated woman.

If you’ve ever experienced heartbreak, then you can sympathize with what Violet is going through. Add in the potential for her career advancing nationally only to have it jeopardized after she goes viral, then we will wonder how it all ends for her in IF YOU ASK ME. Dez is mostly in the background in this tale, but he’s a part of the decisions that Violet must make as she tries to salvage her career—and her personal life. It doesn’t help that she can’t avoid Shelby. She also doesn’t make things better when she tries to hide the failure of her marriage to her mother. Will Violet end up making the right choices in IF YOU ASK ME?

A funny and intriguing tale that will have you laughing out loud at times, you won’t want to miss IF YOU ASK ME. This isn’t a sad tale but one that will make you laugh and make you smile. Grab a copy today.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Will also appear on our site at http://romrevtoday.com/

I enjoyed the spontaneity and growth that the main character went through on the this journey. Sometimes, however, it did feel a bit, overly dramatic and often times the drama that is unfolding takes over for anything else you are rooting for, including the romance.

This was a fairly fast, easy read about self awareness and growth in relationships. When violet discovers her husbands extramarital affairs., her whole world is shattered and she slips into making some bad but hilarious decisions. I fully supported all of her dumb choices but even more I supported how she was able to see how she could grow from the situation. There is a romance and while it is fast it’s not the sole focus. It has plenty of small town feels and antics to keep you reading.

I got halfway through and had to give it up. The female protagonist was a sad character and I felt there was no spark between her and the male protagonist. I just couldn't see him being that into her. It wasn't believable. Some library patrons will enjoy this, however.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This did not affect my rating.
*3/5*

If You Ask Me is a fun rom-com. I could actually see it being a Netflix movie.

We follow Violet, an advice columnist who writes Dear Sweetie and upon learning some good career
news, goes home early to surprise her husband. Only he is the one to surprise her, by being in bed with another woman – effectively blowing up Violet’s life and their marriage.

Violet tries *unsuccessfully* to keep it together but so many little things just seem to go wrong, and she tends to make bad errors of judgement while in distress. The first of many these bad errors of judgement, Violet sets a few of her husband’s belongings on fire in the middle of the cul-de-sac. She does end up meeting the hunky firefighter Dez though.
Dez is kind, funny, caring, and gorgeous. He comes back to check on Violet later and there is a spark (heh heh).

Throughout the book, Violet makes some bad decisions. Her columns become more... unhinged? I get
that she is going through it. Girl has had it rough. But there is a line and Violet toes that line dangerously close and then is pushed over it. At that point, I was losing respect for her. I didn’t care that she was cheated on, what happened could have had major repercussions for herself and for the ones around her. I don’t think that Violet did enough to atone and come back from that. Another woman in this book did some shady stuff too (and this is not the woman who Violet’s husband Sam was cheating on her with), and I don’t think she deserved to be let off the hook either! All those plots wrapped up too nicely.

Dez… Dez is a dream! But he just always seemed to be there. I get that they lived a couple blocks apart,
but all the coincidental meetings were a bit much. However – their beach day?! TO DIE FOR. Taking her to the State Fair to ride the Tower of Doom to let Violet scream out her frustrations?! LOVED IT!!! Man was absolutely nailing it.

Some things I did love about this were the talks about infertility. It is a hard topic to write, and I like that the author didn’t magically make Violet fertile once she was with the right man and *boom* magically she can get pregnant.

I will continue to read Libby Hubscher’s books because I really enjoy her writing and I like her plots.

Violet is an advice columnist on the brink of a perfect life - until she finds her husband in bed with someone else. She goes rogue, giving cavalier advice and literally burning things in the street which introduces her to handsome and unfailingly kind fireman Dez. As Violet seemingly burns her life to the ground, Dez and her friends help her see that she can be happy AND let people in.

I haven't read anything else by Libby Hubscher but I was anticipating a light and sweet romance - and got frustration and rage and betrayal. This took me less than 48 hours to read and I carried Violet's anger with me, which to me is the sign of a well written book.

I have never actively rooted against a character more than I did Sam, which maybe isn't the lesson of the book but MAN I couldn't help it. He and his mom seemed so heartless and just kept kicking Violet while she was down - if Dez and Kyra hadn't been there to balance it out with kindness I'm not sure I would have made it through the book.

The book had a much happier ending than I anticipated it - although the epilogue was a bit too cheesy in my opinion - but I'll take a cheesy ending over a bittersweet and sad ending any day.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced e-book!