I enjoyed this book, It was fun and the characters were quirky, I liked the style and you can’t go wrong with a good romcom.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is in a slump and needs a feelgood book.

It didn’t wow me but it was enjoyable.

Is it better or worse to have the characters discuss the premise of Schitt's Creek that is being ripped off as the basis of the book? Felt a little lazy to me. As did the whole super-precocious child, antagonistic non-custodial parent, BFFs and family members that explain the main characters' life and feelings to them, and cringey depictions of non-native English speakers:

E.g.:
'“You were both so young,” Mari says. “Maybe the time has come to let the troll go under the bridge?”

'Mari moved here from Costa Rica fifteen years ago when Val’s mom took off. It was the same summer Winnie’s mom died of cancer. Worst summer break ever! Mari’s English is almost perfect, but her idioms … not so much. She told Val recently that she needed to stop dating so many losers and find a man who would sweep her feet off.

'Based on context here, I think she means water under the bridge, not trolls.'

Worst stereotype ever!

Anyway, there is just a lot of hand-wringing about the main characters' past relationship, and with no steamy payoff on the horizon.... I DNF'd this one around 30%. Hope things worked out with that town they bought, as that is a normal thing that people do.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Book: The Buy-In
Author: Emma St. Clair
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:
"You can't Schitt's Creek a town, Tank."

"And you can't verb a noun, son."


When a family of former pro football players buy a small Texas town, they didn't intend to start a war with its residents ... or to fall in love.

Ever since his career-ending injury, Pat has bounced from job to job, idea to idea, short-lived relationship to short-lived relationship. But when his father purchases the town of Sheet Cake, Pat suddenly sees his life with clear purpose: get his brothers on board with his dad's wild idea and win back the one woman who got away.

Lindy was supposed to be traveling the world, not stuck in a small town, caring for her niece. But she would do anything to keep custody of Jo--even if that looks like a marriage of convenience with the man who already broke her heart once.

Now if she can only keep herself from falling back in love with her husband...

This is a small town, marriage of convenience romantic comedy with plenty of sizzle while keeping the bedroom door closed. Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams and Sariah Wilson!

Review:
I really enjoyed this book! This is the first Emma St. Clair novel I have read, and I will definitely be reading more. The humor in this book was spot on, and enhanced the plot in the right places. I have not read many books with the marriage of convenience trope, but this book definitely made me want to read more - I loved it, and it definitely worked.

I not only loved the characters, Pat and Lindy, but I also loved the entire town. Emma did a great job of painting a picture of the town's ambience and townspeople that it made me feel like I was there, and made me wish that it was a real town so I could go visit! The way Pat and Lindy's romance unfolded was also very sweet to watch. The only drawback to this book was I felt like it was a little long, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next book in the series.


Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Buy-in is out now, so grab your copy today!

Lovely book by a lovely author.

I have long been a fan of Emma St. Clair's books. In this first installment of a new standalone romcom series, we follow two flawed but lovable characters as they give their love a second chance. The lead male is a complete cinammon role of a love interest and the leading lady is relatable and driven. Full of witty dialogue, character complexity and depth, swoony romance, and hilarious situations, The Buy-In is a must read for sweet romance fans everywhere.

The Buy-In is everything a small-town RomCom should be and more. The characters are so lovable and fun. I really enjoyed how the author makes the reader feel like a part of the town. She did such a great job of making it all come to life. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to visit a fictional town more than I do Sheet Cake, Texas! The romance is slow-burn, swoony goodness, and let me with a huge smile on my face. Definitely pick this one up!

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook.

I thought it well written, just alot going on. I love the small town, second chance romance. It was a quick, enjoyable read for me.

Do Pat and Lindy have what it takes to make it in This second chance romance?

This book was so much deeper than I thought I was getting. A wonderful emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, cried and swooned so hard for these two!

Lindy has always been the one that got away, but when Pat’s father buys her hometown, they’re reunited and Pat will do everything possible to keep her.

Pat and Lindy dated in college, but when graduation meant futures in opposite directions, Pat left without saying goodbye. Since then, Pat left pro football and Lindy raised her niece, Jo, a five year old that is hilarious, smart, and deserves the world. But when Lindy’s sister suddenly wants custody of Jo, Lindy needs to show the courts a stable, financially sound home. Walking into the local diner to Jo giving Pat a drawing couldn't be fate, right?

Pat grabs his chance to be everything Lindy needs, but can she forgive old hurts and trust him not to leave her again?

I appreciated the quick resolution, amazing besties (we love supportive female friendships where they call you on your bs), lots of humor, and major pining. You could tell the book connected to others by the author and I’m hopeful she writes about Lindy’s friends next!

The Buy In is a second chance, cinnamon roll hero, marriage of convenience, closed door romance set in a small Texas town. For a sweet rom-com, read on!

4.5 stars

I enjoyed this one!

A textbook second-chance, small town romance, but with enough quirky characters and hilarious situations to give it that necessary spark to fully bring it to life.

Schitt's Creek is an amazing show, and I could really see the inspiration shining through. Sheet Cake was certainly a very charming little town full of fun, colorful characters and there were plenty of crazy, outrageous situations that managed to steal a few laughs from me.

I appreciate a book with some good pop culture references, but I feel like this one overdid it a little. Kudos for working so many vintage references in there, but I have to say some felt very forced and a few just flew right over my head (they were before my time and I'm not enough of a movie buff to voluntarily seek out old films to watch).

An aspect that was especially sweet about this novel were the close, healthy familial relationships. It was just so wholesome! The banter between Pat and his siblings, his BFF-ship with his dad and Lindy's relationship with Jo were just too cute.

One thing I feel must be pointed out, was how this book fell into the predictable trap of the overly precocious and prodigiously smart little kid. It's so overdone at this point, it's basically become a trope. Whatever happened to average kinder-gardeners? Let kids behave like kids, there's no need for all fictional 6 year-olds to behave like middle-aged adults.

The book was really good, even if I feel it could have been shorter. The emotional drama got a bit repetitive for me and I found myself getting bored at times. Also, I was a little upset with how everyone seemingly kept dismissing Pat's emotional needs. I totally think he was a words of affirmation guy, but since he was so happy-go-lucky and energetic, it felt like a lot of the times his needs got disregarded. He kept putting himself out there again and again, trying his best, without getting much back for his efforts. It just left me feeling sad for him.

In any case, I liked Emma St Clair's writing style very much and this book was a good blend of funny, emotional and sweet, so I'd be interested in reading more from her.

3.5⭐

**I received an e-ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**

Being a lover of all things Schitts Creek I KNEW this book was for me!

The Buy-In is super cute, if you are looking for the perfect small town romance with marriage of convenience, single parent, forced proximity and second chances? This is the one for you! It's also book #1 in a series and I cannot wait for #2's release later this year!

This is a great 5 star read for me! It was such a cute story and I loved the characters. I love this authors books and knew it would be the same for this book. Such a fun book to read and had me giggling.

If you love all those shows mentioned above than you'll love The Buy-In by Emma St.Clair! This sweet, funny and heartwarming story was just what I needed. It has the fun banter between characters that I love but also the sincere family connections that brought tears to my eyes. Patrick has all the best there is to offer in a fictional book boyfriend. What woman doesn't love a man who will go to any lengths to prove his love?? Lindy is the prefect counter to his over the top personality and I loved her relatability. This is my first time reading Emma St. Clair and I will definitely be reading more!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF @ 31%. Unfortunately, this author's writing style is not working for me. I find it quite unrealistic and difficult to read. Overall, I thought the premise was interesting but after 30% and only one interaction between the MCs I'm finding it hard to continue and stay interested. There were some funny moments but in general this book is not for me but I think many will enjoy it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced e-arc.

I had never read anything by Emma St Clair before. I grabbed this book on Netgalley because I saw that it was a sweet or low heat romcom and it sounded like fun. I'm so glad I did.
The Buy In is sweet in every sense of the word. It has a whole lot of heart. The story centres around Lindy who has abandonment issues, and Pat who is a ex pro football player with a tendency to be impulsive (he has ADHD, which is discussed in the context of being part of who he is). It's a second chance romance between him and Lindy and at the core of the story is a little girl called Jo (Lindy's niece). Lindy has looked after Jo for years and she is trying to keep custody of her. The story is as much about family as about romance.
It's a fake relationship story, and a second chance story, both of which are tropes I really like. Plus it's a small town romance. So there is a wonderful cast of secondary characters for you to get to know and love. I think a lot of them are going to have their stories told in the rest of the series. Overall, I really really enjoyed this. I love the corny jokes. I liked the over the top comics set pieces - including the flaming squirrels - and I really really loved the family and small town love aspect of it. I'm definitely going to read more by this author

Five years ago Patrick left girlfriend Lindy to play pro-football without saying goodbye as he promised leaving both of them devastated. A month after he leaves, Lindy is left raising her newborn niece after her addict sister dumps her with their mum.

Imagine their shock five years later, both of them still not over each other, when Patrick’s dad Tank (an ex pro football star) buys Lindy’s hometown Sheet Cake, Texas. Lindy is now battling to get custody of her niece when her sister reappears married to a rich businessman. She’s told the only way to get a look in is to marry. You can guess where this is going.

Emma St Clair’s ‘The Buy In’ has my favourite tropes that make rom coms enjoyable for me - second chance, marriage of convenience, lovable heroes. However this book was a bit too slow moving in pace for me when it came to the action. I realise St Clair was going for humour with the plot device to force Patrick to remain in town unnecessary and a bit too silly. I wish, instead of those scenes designed for humour we saw them bond and get to know each other as adults five years later more. I also found the whole ‘no sex’ thing just ridiculous too. He got to sleep around but Lindy remained celibate/virgin?? Why do we have the virgin/celibate heroine but the guy gets to be the one who sleeps around? Come on!

I absolutely adored the way Patrick realised he had to demonstrate how much he cared for Lindy through showing up for her and being a partner. Overall The Buy In is a fun, easy read. If you love a marriage of convenience/second chance trope, add this to your TBR pile.

2.5 stars

Want a read that’s going to give you Hart of Dixie/Schitt’s Creek vibes? LOOK NO FURTHER.

Emma St. Clair delivers with this small town, second chance romance dropped right into the heart of Texas. Not only is it a second chance romance, but it’s got a marriage of convenience thrown in and it was PERFECT.

My random thoughts while reading…
▪️The Neighborly app is so much more entertaining than the Nextdoor app.
▪️I wish I could get a Tank hug.
▪️I CANNOT WAIT until James gets his own book.
▪️Stop being so stubborn, Lindy!
▪️Don’t worry, Pat. You can come fix my toilet any time.
▪️JUST KISS HER ALREADY!
▪️Winnie, dump the accountant. It’s time.
▪️Okay, but now I want a book about Chevy?

I am beyond obsessed with the Graham brothers and completely invested in this series - real talk, when can I get my hands on book #2?!

Firstly thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Emma St. Clair for providing me with an ARC of this book.
I want to start off by saying I really wanted to love this book. I remember seeing it on Instagram and so when I received the ARC I was pretty excited.
However, I really struggled to get through it. It's taken 3 weeks for me to read it but I only read the first 45% properly and then just couldn't sit through much more of it. I felt the storyline was quite slow and not a lot happened within the first 40% or so to engage me. As a result, I skim read the remainder of the book.
Despite this, there were elements within the book that I did enjoy. The pop culture references kept me entertained and I almost squealed every time the magical website that is Etsy was mentioned. Plus the seven grand gestures that I obviously have to go and watch (or rewatch)
My final thoughts are that the story and references had so much potential but I failed to stay engaged or connect with the characters but I am glad they got their happy ending.

I absolutely loved this book! It is a great rom-com to escape into.

Lindy and Pat have a history, a brief history but one neither has forgotten. A chance of fate has Pat crashing back into Lindy's life and they both have walls to break down before they realise what everyone can see - they are meant to be.

I love a book that has a strong family theme, set in a small town and you can invest in everyone and their story. It's going to be a lot of fun getting to know the Grahams :)

I’m a total fan of Emma books. Must read. This book was a must and I like to read more from this series. Enjoyed all of it.

BOOK REVIEW

Emma St. Clair- I will NEVER get tired of your books! You make the best rom-coms there is!

Love Clichés is still my favorite, but this Graham Brother’s series is a close second! I can’t wait to read more of your writing.

For anyone who hasn’t read her books, I highly recommend you do! She has great, full-developed characters, tension (but overall clean romance), and humor!

This one would be great for anyone looking for a found family, second chance romance, financial and adoption struggles, and fake marriages!

My overall rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/ 5 Stars