Member Reviews
The 6th story in the Kiss and Tell series, we finally get to see how the youngest Chamberlain brother deals with being head over heels in love!
If you'd told me at the start of this series that Nick's one true love would turn out to be Shelby, I would never have believed you. That said, their connection was palpable on the page, right from the opening chapters. I love a bit of miscommunication, so their initial moments in the bridal boutique immediately hooked me. Overall, I enjoyed the subsequent push and pull, as they renavigate their relationship, and understood how Shelby's vulnerabilities made her overly cautious, to the point of self-sabotage.
I wished, however, that the conflict over modelling had been a bit more fleshed out. There were a lot of 'modelling is degrading' vibes, and clearly, Shelby's college modelling experience was bad, but we never *really* got what was so bad about it, other than men looking at her. I think I know where the author was going with this, but there was a lot of 'I know you hate modelling' conversations without it being explained. I also would have LOVED some of the much-promised teasing from Zach and Dylan. Maybe we could get a bonus chapter or outtake? Pretty, pretty please?
Those things aside, I loved their chemistry and the final chapters, and I especially enjoyed the role of a certain parent. Plus, the epilogue wraps the series up perfectly.
Overall Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Heat Rating: 🔥
Emotional Rating: 😢😍😂💓
*Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*
(Thank you NetGalley and publisher for sharing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review)
A book with a cute cover? Say yes!
It’s the kind of book that is well narrated it takes you in into its own world and helps you escape the reality for a while.
A fast paced story without any needless dragging at any point that keeps you engrossed till the very end! I’m not a huge fan of second chances but I just maybe changing my stance after this one.
A recommended read if you’re looking for something light, interesting and not too slow! 💯
This was a typical romance story (no spice). It was cute but the characters did seem pretty superficial. I think I would have been more interested in reading about the side characters love stories more. I did enjoy the dual POV. Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC.
2.5 ⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Nick and Shelby’s story is book 6 in a series that I haven’t read nor will I go back and read the other 5. As a stand-alone it was an okay story with some side characters that clearly had been better explained previously.
Nick is the troublemaker of his family that now that he’s met the right girl wants to settle down, aggressively so. Shelby is the kid from the broken family whose sworn to never settle. Who wins in their battle of wills?
Honestly it would have been an okay read if it weren’t for the authors weird prose. The one statement that just was the final straw was when Shelby compared Nick complementing her seemingly run down apartment to saying that Minneapolis looked nice after the riots. Yikes. Like this could have been the best book ever and that would have been a tough sell
Very fun and light read if that’s what you are in the mood for! I love books like this during sadder times and this will definitely pick you up!!
Whilst I love the interactions between Nick and Shelby I couldn’t fully get my teeth into the coupling. The back story of getting together at the brothers wedding was cute but the angst of Shelby calling it a day didn’t make me commit to pairing as much as I had wished.
A lovely plot and I am glad they got their happy ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc instead of an honest opinion.
3.5 stars
Fancy Meeting You Here is 6th book of the series Kiss & Tell. It follows the story of Shelby Zurlo and Nick Chamberlain. They had hooked during the wedding of her best friend and his brother two years ago and then broke up. It is a second chance romance.
Two years after their breakup, Nick, who is still hung up on Shelby, finds her dressed in a wedding gown in a bridal salon and assumes she is engaged.
Shelby, who is commitment phobic due to her parents' disastrous relationship, is overwhelmed to run in Nick, the only person she has been love with, while she is modeling in a bridal salon. Nick wants to give their relationship a second chance. But she is restraining.
Nick and Shelby were ok. They were enjoyable but annoying at times. His family and friends were nice. I wish he didn't react the way he did regarding modelling. The smut level was zero. They had few kisses, but it was just bland. The writing style was good. The thing that annoyed me the most was that one minute she was saying she wanted space and next minute they were engaged.
I would maybe recommend it. I'm not sure.
When Nick enters a bridal salon with his cousin, he's shocked to see ex-girlfriend Shelby there in a wedding gown. He realizes he's never gotten over her. Discovering she was there for a modeling job, he decides it's time to win her back, before it's too late. But Shelby, who grew up with a narcissistic mother and an absent father, doesn't believe love is in the cards for her. Can he convince her to open her heart?
I really liked Nick and Shelby. They've got good chemistry, and Nick is devoted to her, despite how skittish she is. His family also play a large role. This is a book about supporting the ones you love through difficulties, and finding that place where you belong. It's well written and well paced, with a strong plot and characters. While it's the sixth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This book hooked me right from the start. I liked the initial interactions between the two main characters. After that, I got lost in the (too) many side characters and some cringey narratives. While I liked Shelby, I didn't connect with the other characters in the book. I would still recommend this book to someone who wants a short and sweet romance book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy for an honest opinion.
It’s a nice quick read. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was part of a series. Though, I don’t believe you need to read the previous books in order to read this one.
I didn’t feel there was a lot of chemistry between the main characters. It was a quick read but I didn’t feel invested in the storyline or characters.
It was a fine read but not something I would recommend to friends.
I am giving this book 3 stars. Whilst I enjoyed the book, the characters are funny and the relationship between the main characters are great, I felt something was missing. The main female character frustrated me because of how stubborn she was and was causing her own problems, however, I did enjoy it. The pace was great, it was well written, and I ended up finishing it in two days...I just couldn't connect with it. It's a good read...not a great one.
On another note though, this book would be a good palette cleanser, if you're looking to get out of a genre slump and need something different. Or, if you want to dip your toes into a rom-com romance style book.
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, CAH LLC and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
An okay read, not overly invested in the story or the characters.
Nick is still hung up on Shelby even after two years apart so when he has the opportunity to try to win her back, he goes for it. The secondary characters help make this story and the way Nick never gives up on Shelby just melts my heart. I loved the ending to this story. It was just perfect. This author’s writing style made the book just flow and I could not put it down.
They had an affair two years ago and then they broke up . He see her wearing a wedding dress he believes that she is getting married and so he herat broken . She is at the bridal shop for her job but she helping a friend and poses for the photographer . They meet at his brother baby shower and he discover that he was wrong . He is trying to win her back . Will he succeed ?
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>
<b> 1.5 stars</b>
So, this book just really wasn't for me. It was filled with strange overwrought descriptions, which felt super cringe, like "his voice sounded like caramel coated with steel". The narrative didn’t flow at all, and felt quite forced throughout.
On top of that, I just didn't really like either of the MCs. Shelby seemed completely defined by her inability to commit and there were just so many situations engineered for the sole purpose of expressing *how beautiful* she is and how she’s *exotic* because she’s part Italian. I feel like Nick was meant to be sweet but instead came across kind of toxic - he wouldn’t just listen to her and acted so condescending. What's with the hate of modelling and it not being a proper profession? Between them, there was too much drama for the sake of drama, and I felt like there was a lack of chemistry between our MCs - I just wasn’t rooting for them.
Also, there were far too many side characters that didn’t end up relevant to the plot in any way!
1.7 stars, rounded up
Thank you Netgalley, Xpresso Book Tours, and Christy Hayes for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC!
To be honest, I am not sure where to start with this book. I was genuinely shocked at how much I disliked it. Some parts of it just rubbed me the wrong way, specifically certain lines written such as "That's so gay," as a response to the idea of a couples baby shower (I thought we were past using sexuality as insults?). The setting of the story is in Georgia mainly, so I was expecting to see quite a bit of diversity. Boy, was I wrong. From what I read and understood, every character was white. The only time skin was described as dark was when Shelby came back from Florida (for a weekend). Another aspect of this novel was how it portrayed masculinity and femininity. You know how Sarah J Maas uses the word 'mate' in every other sentence? That's how I felt in this book, but with the word 'masculine'. Not only were different styles of rooms described like this, but so was every action Nick did ('That's so masculine of him' type beat). There was no buildup or chemistry between Shelby and Nick in this novel, and it felt flat and it hurts that I wasn't even rooting for them to be together.
Nick Chamberlain was borderline stalkerish. Genuinely, I felt uncomfortable for most of his beginning scenes with Shelby. Also, him pursuing her when she clearly didn't want it was so frustrating because her friends and his friends were egging him on. ALSO, every character in this book thought Nick was 'different' because he never commented on Shelby's 'hotness'. DUH. The amount of sexualization of the woman's body was jaw-dropping, and when we were in Nick's POV, I absolutely HATED the way he talked to his friends and how his friends talked. It was like every conversation HAD to have some sort of reference to sex or someone's ass. I felt like I was reading a prepubescent teenager's conversation, not a 25-year-old's with his older brothers. WTF. We didn't need to focus on Shelby's appearance so much and making it such a big theme in this book.
I didn't feel like this book passed the Bechdel Test in any regard. Everything was about a man. Or sex. And there was no smut. Nick and Shelby's whole relationship felt based on physical attraction and tension, there were no deeper conversations shown to us and there were surface-level dehumanizing comments made about women. In addition, the theme of possession in this novel is so incredibly abundant, and it made me extremely uncomfortable watching Shelby need Nick's validation the further their relationship got. To Nick, he felt like Shelby belonged to him, and this was so frustrating that it made me want to throw my phone. Don't even get me started on the micromanagement of her modeling. I also thought we were past slut-shaming models and degrading a respectable profession. This was such an annoying plot point with Nick being all huffy-puffy about her modeling because it, and I quote, "puts herself on display for others." Like. WHAT. She's getting paid a ton of money and it was her choice. It will always be her choice. He had no right to act like he was getting killed over it. God, grow up.
Overall, I believe the flaws in this book were just too overwhelming for me to enjoy even the good parts about it (which include the sisterhood of Shelby and her roommates), and I don't believe I will be picking up another book from this series or author in the near future.
The only thing I wish about this was that it was more clear that this was like the 7th book in a series. For fans who have read all I’m sure the tie ins were great. Even knowing it was last in a series, and not reading this author or series before, I genuinely LOVED this book. I couldnt put it down!
Overall, a nice quick read. I know it's supposed to be a romance, but unfortunately, I didn't feel like I was rooting for the couple to be together at all!
I seem to be in the minority with my low rating, but I will admit I knocked off a whole star for this one phrase: “Shelby could have sworn she felt her ovaries pucker.” WHAT? I thought we were past these ridiculous descriptions of women’s body parts?? And ovaries simply do not pucker?
Shelby as a character didn't quite draw me in. She's the typical "pretty but doesn't give herself enough credit," "bad at relationships" kind of gal that's in so many books. And I can't say I got enough info about her to figure her out. Maybe she just needs to go to therapy? I can appreciate Nick because we get more background about why he was so crushed after their initial split.
I was also very annoyed by the lack of actual chemistry between the two. Most of their conflict seems to stem from miscommunication, and I just got really frustrated. Not in the good "oh man it's so delicious when they're finally together" sort of way, but frustrated in the sense of "well if you don't like this long list of things about him, then date someone else?"
Most of the plot is spurred on by their extremely perceptive friends and family, and I did really appreciate that. I like a good round of vetting between friends, evaluating whether or not the relationship with x is worth pursuing. I really enjoyed that brunch scene with Shelby and her gals. That was enjoyable to read.
Don't even get me STARTED on the whole “mad about modeling” thing. Women are doing all sorts of jobs, and it's weird to be reading a book where a woman is ... shamed for loving her body and "using her looks" to make money. Go women!!! If she wants to make money because she’s hot and she knows it, what’s wrong with that? Putting down someone's career path or job just because you don't like other people looking at her body is so... outdated? And not sexy at all? Women have put up with enough from men like that already.
I didn't know this book was a part of a series and I had not read any of the previous 5. While I don't think it mattered, I also didn't know any of the "inside jokes" if you will going into this story.
This was fine - it wasn't bad, it wasn't particularly memorable, but it was an OK read.
While enjoyed this one I did love it but I also didn't hate it. It was a just a book that was a little on the meh side of things.