I remember liking and enjoying this book a lot. It was my first book by this author and she didn't disappoint. I can't wait to read more about the Graham family!

I recently read The Buy-In by Emma St. Clair, and while it had its enjoyable moments, it didn’t fully deliver for me. The small-town setting was charming, and the family dynamics of the main characters were heartwarming. There were definitely some funny and sweet moments that made me smile.

However, I found the pacing to be a bit slow in parts, and some of the character development felt a little shallow. While the premise of a fake engagement was fun, it followed many familiar rom-com tropes, which made it somewhat predictable. That said, if you're a fan of lighthearted romance with a dash of humor, this could still be a good pick.

Overall, The Buy-In is a decent read, but it didn’t quite stand out for me.

finally read this one since a bookstagram friend lent me her copy! i was sad when i missed the archive date on downloading it. this was my first by the author and i will definitely give her other books a try.

read if you love
-swoony MMC
-ADHD rep
-small town setting
-second chance romance

although slow-moving at times, it kept my interest but the dialogue was a little cringy at times. im a sucker for second chance romance so i loved the pining.

in summary, this was cute and fun, just not one that will be extremely memorable for me. pick it up if you want a lighthearted romance with some LOL moments!

I have never read an Emma St. Clair book I haven't loved, so... there's that. Sometimes what we need in life is a solid rom-com, and St. Clair always delivers! But The Buy-In seriously had me at "You can't Schitt's Creek a town." It was cheeky and fun and everything I needed to balance the chaos that feels like life right now. It honestly felt good to giggle while reading, smiling just for the hell of it, and the whole premise and its characters made for the perfect escape.

I had so much fun reading this!!! I loved all the side characters and i cannot wait to read more from this author!

Much appreciation to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

DNFed - I requested this before I was an influencer and familiar with NG and how it works. I didn't get a chance to read it, and it's no longer downloaded on my Kindle.

Lindy is now the caretaker for her runaway sister’s daughter, Jo. Only now, Lindy’s sister wants to fight for custody and take Jo back despite never being involved in her life.

Patrick Graham is a retired football player who’s father purchases the town where Lindy lives. Patrick and Lindy dated in college but never admitted the strength of their feelings.

With the upcoming custody battle, Lindy’s lawyer suggests-without-suggesting that it would help Lindy’s case if she were married. Out of his caring for Lindy, and his new paternal love towards Jo, Patrick decides to marry Lindy. Trouble is, they’re not in love anymore. Or are they?

Thank you to Emma St. Clair and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this! This book is SO CUTE AND FUN. Patrick Graham is one of the sweetest book boyfriends (or maybe the better term is book husband?) and LIndy was totally relatable. I loved that this story tackled real problems and represented realistic ways of handling them. And honestly, does it get any better than lovers-enemies-lovers set in a town called Sheet Cake?

I definitely recommend this book!

This definitely had Schitt's Creek fan fiction written all over it, but I really loved it and Emma wrote it perfectly!

light, breezy, inoffensive. which i feel is exactly what it's going for.

found family is always going to land well with me. i enjoy emma st clair's writing style, it's to the point, sweet, the romance feels authentic.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me: I was not in the place to read it at the time, I will try to give it another chance in the future.

This one made me smile, blush and feel just so much. The ADHD representation is well written and one can easily relate. The development is just amazing as well.

Favorite Emma St. Clair BY FAR! (So far!) This book is everything you want in a small town romance. It’s Sweet Home Alabama meets Friday Night Lights. What is not to love?! It feels like a Netflix show (without all the smut)…one that I would be waiting at the end of the season for it continue. Lindy and Pat are the cutest, and Emma St Clair writes rom com so well that it doesn’t feel like forced comedy moments with cliche slapstick, but just enough comedy relief, as all of the best romcoms include.

Some of the cute additions to the book were the lists that Lindy makes for her writing job (my favorite being the top movie grand gestures…made me want to write a list of my own). And the hilarious threads from “Neighborly” app where the small town gives and gets all the gossip. Genius!

Of course attach the Graham family that you absolutely FALL IN LOVE WITH and little Jo. I mean, there isn’t much to complain about! (Other than Pat giggling….I don’t know a lot of guys that giggle, but that could just be me.) Also, I didn’t really get the tie-in to the cover with the poker chips and cards. It had me thinking that Pat was going to be a professional gambler or that gambling would be a major part of the storyline. The Buy-In works when it comes to buying the town, but the cover threw me off. Pat isn’t a gambler, but an ex-athlete. So maybe I missed something in there.

And the audio (I read and listened at the same time which was even funner) is great! The narrators are fantastic, so if you are an audio lover, try that out too! You won’t regret this one.

Emma did it again. I have been loving her novels. the character development is like nothing else ive read and I love every single character she writes.

This is my first Emma St. Clair book however it will not be my last. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series. I loved the banter between the hero and heroine.

Book one in a new series and I am all in! Pat, his dad and his brothers are part of an NFL family. All former players, they are looking for their next chapter.
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Tank, the patriarch of the family decides that next chapter includes buying a town. Yes, a legit town. Not only did he buy a town but he bought a town called Sheet Cake, Texas. What are the odds that the girl that Pat once loved lives in this tiny town? Apparently, these odds are very good!
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Lindy was meant to be traveling the world but instead her sister dropped her niece off at her house and didn’t return for years, when she now wants to claim custody of her again, but Lindy is ready to fight. However, there is one little problem, but maybe a marriage of convenience can solve that problem.

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Pat is willing to do anything to win Lindy back and that includes marrying her to try to win custody of her niece. I really loved this book and cannot wait to continue with this series!
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Huge thank you to #emmastclair and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Very sweet story about a small town romance done once again!

Pat and Lindy were once married and then split. Getting back together would be for the best, right? A true love story gone right this time!

With the perfect amount of drama, character development, banter, and a solid read, this story is good for those who want romance without the spicy scenes.

While not necessarily my cup of tea in terms of romance, this was still a sweet story that worked on pulling my heartstrings again and again, making me fall in love with the characters as a whole. Mistakes were made, love was strong, and a lot of goofy moments made this story one that I enjoyed!

Thanks for the opportunity!

This was such a cute small-town romance. I am super glad that I was able to give this book a read. This book makes you believe in soulmates. I mean Pat and Lindy are perfect for each other! If you like a small-town romance or marriage of convenience romance this book is perfect for you! An amazing read for 2023!

I love Emma St. Clair, but I just couldn't get into this one. I think this is a me problem, more than the book and I'll try to revisit The Buy-In again at some point in the future

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁: Marriage of convenience, Second chance romance, Small town
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Custody issues

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯—𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶! 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳.”

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

I really enjoyed this book, it was funny and emotional, and everything in between. The plot was incredible, and some of the events were super unexpected. I loved the character building, especially Pat the who really suffers with his ADHD and that just makes his character not just more believable but more loveable. He’s book boyfriend material and I could totally win any girl over!

There were a lot of scenes that had me laughing but especially the scene with the mud, and the scene with the squirrels! If you know, you know, but the rest of you aren’t getting any more spoilers than that. But it wouldn’t be a romcom without the ups and downs - and a bit of wanting to shake the MC by the shoulders and screaming at them to stop overthinking!

If you want a romantic comedy to keep you company on these autumn nights, I recommend cosy-ing up with this! The ONLY thing that brings my rating down was that the marriage of convenience mentioned in the blurb was a little too far into the story personally, but it didn’t put me off and I thoroughly enjoyed it!