Member Reviews
Thank You Netglalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Poppy
All I wanted was to throw a little bag of dog poop at my ex's door to release my divorce demons. Is that too much to ask? Just my luck Deputy Hillbilly Upchuck Duke catches me in the act. That creep's been on me like germs on a buffet since we were kids. I have a bar to run, a beer garden to build, and moron cousins and patrons to wrangle. I don't have time to be stalked by this idiot. If he thinks showing back up in Grand Valley with a star on his inbred chest, sans mullet, will make me forget the hell he put me through, he's dumber than he was when he left Illinois.
Chuck
Poppy Prince hates my guts. Always has. It's cute she thinks those nicknames bother me, almost as cute as how clueless she still is about her sex appeal. It takes a special kind of man to put up with her crap. I'm going to show her once and for all that no one's as special as me.
This is a cute little enemies to lovers novel. about two neighbour's who absolutely hate eachother. I love enemies to lovers so this was right up my alley.
This is an enemies-to-lovers set in a small town in the mid-west US, told from both perspectives. I didn't find it rough-around-the-edges, but maybe that's the working class gal in me. It was steamy at times. It was definitely silly at times.
I like the fodder that comes with enemies to lovers. This book is very much in the characters' heads, which I was happy to go with, as I would prefer that to all external action and no idea why they are doing what they are doing. When I was near the end I was thinking, this book has like no external conflict, then it became surprisingly action-packed, which again I was happy to go along with but it just expedited the process of the pair getting over their issues so they could reach their HEA.
I found this to have ~some~ similarities to Penny Reid's Winston Brothers books, so if you like those, give this a go.
I rate this a high 3* - good for what it is. I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I picked up some proofreading errors that may have since been rectified, and a couple of cringe similes, but if you take that as part of the silliness, this is an enjoyable ride.
If you’re from or have lived in a small town this is definitely for you! I could see the River Rats, Townies, and locations all in my head. I love Chuck and Poppy had a enemies to love & childhood best friend relationship. The way those two act they couldn’t be more perfect for each other. I do wish we saw more vulnerable conversations with Poopy and more domestic actions from Chuck. My favorite parts were: the picnic table, water tower, and Poppy’s locker!!!
Thank you to the publisher and author as well as netgalley for allowing me access to this eARC of this book and allowing me to give feedback and read books in exchange for a review.
This is a romantic comedy but also women fiction mesh. This is a beautifully crafted story between these two characters, I liked this a lot so much I read it in two days and lost out on some sleep but it was fully worth it. The cover doesn't fit the book tho which is what was confusing.
This was fun? It wasn't anything exceptional or brilliant, just plain fun. That's not a bad thing, either. I had a wonderful time.
I like an occasional rom-com book but this one was not for me. It had the usual key components: Enemies to lovers trope, small town vibes, sexual tensions, and a quick read. Unfortunately there were also elements in the book that I found unnecessary.
The male love interest was a tad possessive with predatory-like behavior. The female character with her constant derogatory remarks makes it difficult to empathize with her. She thinks her excuse for her bad attitude and maybe the lack of attention was because she wasn’t deemed pretty.
There was a very good amount of teasing between multiple characters especially between the cousins. In one chapter, it became too excessive that it’s basically bullying and was lengthy. I did not find anything humorous about it. I especially did not appreciate mocking someone who stuttered. The romance did have its sweet moments but that’s it.
A fair warning: vomit, bullying, foul language.
Thank you so much to NG and the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
A Fair Warning by Dianna Roman is a new enemies to lovers romcom that was hilarious! The chemistry between the main characters was evident and their banter gave life to the book! The pacing was well done and the spice was delectable.
4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Dianna Roman for providing me an ARC of this book.
After reading mixed reviews I was unsure about this but I actually loved it! Poppy and Chuck were so cute and it makes me so happy she didn't change herself. Highly recommend this book!
A Fair Warning is your typical rom-com book which, most of the time I tend to pass over but will definitely read to break up all the thrillers that are hanging out on my shelves. This is the story of Poppy and Charlie who are enemies turned lovers. Charlie has always been in love with Poppy but never acted upon his feelings. While Poppy has had a few rough years, the last thing she wants or needs is Charlie in her life. But here he is. And maybe this time Poppy will give Charlie a chance. Overall, I wasn't thrilled with this book. I found the characters rather annoying and immature. I did not care for all the name calling by Poppy. Charlie was a better character by far. I do think the cover is cute though.
Pub Date is March 8, 2022 if you want to pre-order from your favorite local bookshop!
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.
I really struggled to read this book, it was very slow, the characters were so immature and unfortunately I gave up halfway through.
Based in a small town, the plot reveals that Poppy and Chuck have known each other since early school and yet haven’t been able to communicate their true feelings to each other. A series of miscommunications lead to several misunderstandings, and the two continue to grow apart. However, fate eventually brings them together for their ‘happily ever after’!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5 scale)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (0-5 scale)
What I’m starry-eyed over:
🤩 Small town romance, local bar vibes, & river town!
🤩 Dual point of view, helpful in this 2nd chance at enemies to lovers since it’s regarding childhood perceptions. Miscommunication trope—Poppy & Chuck grew so much as people and as a couple as they worked to communicate in their own snarky, sassy ways.
🤩 Real, rougher, working-class & lower-class characters who could be from my own small town.
🤩 References to the sister and her romance novels. 😍
🤩 I fell in love with Chuck in chapter one—how much he cares about Poppy. I did finally fall in love with Poppy too once Chuck softened her a bit.
🤩 Amazing enemies-to-lovers banter.
🤩 TMNT vibes (heart eyes to those turtles) when Charlie Duke goes ninja on the behemoth man in the bar. And later when Poppy and her gang go all out.
What I’m wishing/dizzy about:
💫 The blow-job was really hot. But, he said STOP twice. No means no. Stop means stop. I wish he wouldn’t have said stop or that Poppy would have stopped until he clearly said go.
💫 I wish there was less mullet talk (sorry, mullets just really turn me off) and more talk about what’s hot about Chuck inside and out. I really like all the feels in my romcoms. I was hoping for more of those hot, lusty desire feels toward Charlie.
DNF’d pretty quickly. The writing, language, and vulgarity was not for me. Knew right away it was going to be smut with no plot and that’s not my thing.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC.
This was a great fun read, i actually enjoyed the authors writing and id like to check out more of her work in the near future.
I absolutely loved this book. This was an enemies to lovers story where the two main characters eventually realized they never actually hated each other and end up falling for one another. I loved their banter and the tension between them was great. This book kept me laughing and there were a few unexpected things that happened but I loved it all. I could not get enough of this book would for sure recommend it. I already can't wait to go back and reread it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is my first time reading something by this author and I really enjoyed it. I'm always on the lookout for a good rom com with a hate/love relationship and this one really fit the bill. Charlie and Poppy were strong characters, with realistic and relatable qualities. It was easy to be drawn to their story. They've know each other since high school and have always had this enemies relationship, but Charlie secretly always wanted to get together with Poppy. Charlie is now back in their small hometown to care for his mother. He wants to build his life and home and wants Poppy to be part of that life, but will she kiss him or bite his head off? Poppy has had some struggles recently, losing her father and going through a divorce. Watching these two go at it was hilarious but also a little frustrating, given the stubbornness on Poppy's side. I loved their interactions. The story had me smiling and laughing out loud at times, and it was a lot of fun to read. Although mostly fun, there were some serious issues discussed, which made the story more realistic.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely like to read more by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.
3.8
Thanks, Netgalley for this ARC. This story is so cute. Imagine you have a childhood friend who doesn't know how to approach you, so he annoys you every day just to get your attention. .Their love encounter is really wholesome. It doesn't have too heavy of love conflict and the characters are well represented. You will find yourself entangled in the story and couldn't stop yourself from reading in one sitting. I mean seriously, if it not for my pack schedule, I would have finished this book in one night. This book is suitable for beginners who likes-cough cough... a steamy sensational plot. Hey, it's hard to find a steamy story with a great storyline.
This was a cute and fast read by an a new author which is always fun!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.
I usually love an enemies to lovers romance novel but I just couldn't get through this book. The banter was juvenile and a huge turn off. The first sex scene was also extremely uncomfortable and I couldn't finish the book after that.
This was pleasant enough but TBH it felt like a novella that had been stretched out to a novel. Most of the romantic tension happens quite early on, and then its just a bit of rinse and repeat as Poppy wonders why he looks so sad, is he breaking up with her and Chuck wonders if Poppy will realise he's not worth the effort and dump him *yawn*.
There's also a bit of tension which I could see telegraphed from miles away which didn't really go anywhere and felt a bit unrealistic to me.
Also, call me a cynic but if the author is dedicated to her writing how can she have the next seven books in the series already mapped out with hero and heroine? I get you have seven other characters for whom you want to find happy endings in future books, but to have already chosen their love interest?
Anyway, it was okay.