I LOVED this book so much!

We follow Pat, whose father has just bought the town that his ex-girlfriend conveniently lives in, and Lindy, a free-lance writer who Pat left behind to play pro football.

The banter in this book was top notch! I also loved all of the movie and song references. I really connected with that aspect because I do the same thing quite frequently lol

This wasn’t a smutty book, but was the perfect sweet romance that will leave you swooning! There were so many times where I went from laughing to “awwww”ing and even almost crying at some points. It’s just such a well rounded story and it will definitely be a favorite of the year for me!

Emma’s writing kept me engaged and it flowed so smoothly to where I didn’t want to stop reading. Her writing is really fantastic in my opinion.

This was my first @kikimojo book and FOR SURE will not be the last! I will be reading every book that she has written!

Highly recommend this book!

Love Pat. Love Lindy. Love the characters and universe Emma St. Clair creates. Sheet Cake, TX, and all its inhabitants were such a joy to get to know. Pat was a lovable, happy male love interest, and Lindy's strength, compassion, and tenacity was a great match for him.

I can't wait to read the other brother's stories, and maybe even one about Tank, the Dad?!

This one is full of swoon. Patrick fights hard to reconcile things with Lindy who can only resist him for so long. I think the emphasis on Pat’s physical appearance is overkill but the development of their relationship is an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading Emma’s next novel in the series.

imagine gilmore girls meets schitt’s creek… this novel is full of lots of love and laughs. i want to visit sheet cake, texas just so i can meet all the ladies and (gentleman) at book club, eat some great food made by big mo, and soak in the beauty of the newly renovated town. i adored all the characters that were introduced in the novel. everyone played an important role and none overshadowed the others so you’re able to appreciate and fall in love with them all. pat is a dream of a man! i definitely fell for his giant heart and patience towards lindy and jo. i wasn’t too crazy for their insta-family/marriage-of-convenience but the great lengths pat went to prove his love for lindy partially made up for that.

i found certain scenes to be too anticlimactic. there was great buildup then everything was solved in a snap, leaving me searching for more. i also appreciated the ADHD awareness that pat and his sister researched and advocated but i felt that it was mentioned at places in the novel where i wasn’t expecting it. the instances were so rare that i wished this topic was explored more or left out altogether and it still would’ve been an amazing storyline. i thought the ending wrapped up pat and lindy’s story perfectly - i couldn’t be more satisfied with it all!- and it sets up winnie’s story, which i’ve already added to my TBR!

Swoon. The Buy-In will make your fall in love and remember what’s important in life. It was my first Emma St Clair but now I’ll be anxiously awaiting her next Graham brothers book.

Lindy has been dealt a tough deck. She’s raising her addict sisters baby, while taking care of her mother with dementia, all while trying to be a normal 20-something.

Patrick’s a washed up college athlete with impulsive tendencies. His father buys the town of Sheet Cake- Schitts Creek style. (This won major points for me.) This happens to be Lindys town. And Lindy and Patrick happen to be old flames.

This story made me want my own Patrick and want to scream at Lindy at times. She’s been burned and has her guard up. But Pat is a gem- a true diamond in the rough. He swoops in and wants to make everything in her life better- if only she’ll let him.

Readers will love this struggling romance and the mix of comedy. I’m dying to read the sequel!!

This was the cutest rom com that had me equally swooning and laughing out loud. Warning: you WILL fall in love with Pat and little Jo is the cutest little bookworm. Emma… phenomenal job! *chefs kiss*

I will start off by saying I did receive this book as an ARC from Netgalley and this is an honest review.

Personally I could not get into this book and ended up not finishing it. I don't know if maybe now just wasn't a good time for this book for me, but it held no interest for me whatsoever.

When I read the book there were a lot of things that stood out to me and not in the best way. I found that when I read this book I though the characters were incredibly immature for being in their late 20s. They way they spoke and acted came off as if they were 17 instead of 27. I also found the way the author wrote to be very reminiscent of fanfiction, but not in a good way. Things like "phonecallapocalypse" and "Like ten shots of espresso on an empty stomach, awake" threw me off and took me out of the story. I also kind of hated the overuse of capitalizing and italicizing the internal monologs of the characters. I found it to be incredibly unnecessary and overused. If this had been toned down it would have made the story seem less fanfictiony.

I really did want to like this book, especially with all the positive reviews for it and how interested I was when I read the synopsis and maybe if I give it another shot later on in life it will be better, but for right now it was not the best book I've read.

The Buy-In is a slow-burn, second-chance, rom-com by Emma St. Clair. It was a quick and easy read, but lacked some of the "sparkle" I was expecting. The author did a great job of writing the main characters, Lindy and Patrick. They both had unique voices and came with their own struggles and problems. I just found that much of the book was long and drawn out and pacing was an issue. I found there were large portions of the book where nothing was happening to help advance the plot, which led to me enjoying the book less.

I liked the side characters of Sheet Cake (and the Graham family) in this book, including Jo and Lindy's friends Winnie and Val. I also loved Tank and all the other characters. I also really liked how Patrick put it all out there. How he was so open and honest with his feelings for Lindy and love for Jo was awesome.

There were lots of important issues discussed in this book, including mental health, addiction, parental abandonment and more. The author did a great job of exploring these issues and made them feel realistic.

If you enjoy clean rom-coms with quirky characters, this would be a good book for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Could I love Emma St. Clair anymore? I’m not sure it’s possible. Every book I’ve read by Emma sweeps you up into a giant loveable hug and you don’t want it to ever let you go. Another brilliant book and I’m counting down the days till the next one! Thank you for allowing me to read and review.

So I did enjoy this and it was a nice easy read but I didn't feel like it was anything special. Also, is it even possible to buy a town?! Is this a US thing? Because the thought of being able to buy a town just seems absurd to me in the UK! I did enjoy the representation of ADHD in the book by Pat and it was great to see. I did also enjoy how Pat and Lindys relationship progressed but I hated the hurdle near the end they needed to overcome and just thought it was put in for plot point that could have easily been avoided with communication which they'd done so well at throughout the book!
Although this was an enjoyable book, I didn't feel compelled to stay stuck to the story and wasn't reaching to pick this up. I didn't feel it had enough to keep me hooked or to elevate it over other romance stories that I've read - hence the 3 stars.

This book is the first I have read by the author but will NOT be the last! It was sweet, romantic, sexy without being full of graphic scenes…but most of all it was laugh out loud funny. Honestly one of the best books I have read in a long time (and I read 3-4 books a week). I loved the premise, and the characters were all fabulous and memorable. Can not wait to enjoy more of this series!

This book completely off-guard in the best way! I was expecting something similar to Schitt's Creek, and don't get me wrong there was the aspect of buying an entire town and it had some fantastic comedy, but it was so much more!

The entire Graham family has such a fun dynamic with each of the characters having distinctive personalities that make the whole book that much better! You are introduced to everyone in the Graham family in Emma's book Falling for Your Best Friend and this just adds to everything you already know and love about them!

Pat and Lindy were so fun to get to know! Lindy was left heartbroken 5 years ago and Pat has regretted his decision ever since. Spiraling down into depression accompanied by many bad decisions ever since, Pat is looking at his father's purchase of Sheet Cake, Texas as his second chance if Lindy will give him long enough to try and explain.

With a marriage of convenience between them so Lindy can keep custody of her niece Jo, Pat knows this is his way back to Lindy's heart. It was heartwarming to see the relationship build and grow, all while Lindy does her best to keep her heart locked down.

I wish everyone would read this book! It is so good, and I will now be reading all of Emma St. Clair's books especially the rest of this series! I can't wait to see what happens next!

I loved the Buy In!!!! Solid 4⭐ for me! This was my first by Emma St.Clair and it definitely won't be my last!

College sweethearts Pat and Lindy bump back into each other years after splitting when Tank, Pat's father, buys a Texas town!
I am obsessed with schitts creek and loved the "I bought a small town" vibes!
If second chance romance, marriage of convenience, reverse grumpy sunshine, and dual pov is your jam then the buy in is for you!
While my typical choice of a rom com includes a little steam, the witty banter and laugh out loud humor more than made up for it in this fun closed door romance.
I also loved the ADHD representation in the main character, the small town full of eccentric residents who are in everyone's business, and Lindy's little neice Jo!
I felt there could have been a tiny bit more on the custody case and Lindy's sister but it's not a big deal!
I can't wait for the next in the series!
Thank you to Emma St.Clair, the publisher, and netgalley for this e-arc. All opinions were my own.

We’ve both recently stumbled upon Emma St Clair, another new to use author with thanks to bookstagram! The Buy-In follows main characters Lindy and Pat. When Pat’s father randomly buys a town he thinks he’s lost his mind, then he finds out it’s the town the love of his life stays in. Lindy still has feelings for Pat but she doesn’t give into them that easily and finds herself caught in some sweet tension with Pat. Pat inserts himself back into Lindy’s life this time getting to know her friends and family. He’s a real sweetheart and I loved his family bond.

If you like

✅ small town romance
✅ sweet hero
✅ second chance romance
✅ marriage of convenience
✅ neurodivergent representation
✅ family drama

Then this might be for you!

We’ve also recently enjoyed the audiobook of Falling For Your Best Friend which features Harper - Pat’s sister - so be sure to check that out too.

This was cute, but maybe too closed-door for my tastes. There were a lot of characters to follow and it was almost too many people. I loved the Schitt's Creek plot, and Lindy and Pat were cute together, but it was my favorite romance.

Pat & Lindy weren’t supposed to be anything. She was going to travel the world and he was going to follow the family legacy of playing pro ball.
They fell hard and fast and in a desperate move to rip the bandaid off of the inevitable end, Pat leaves without a word leaving them both devastated.
Paths crossed again when pats father buys (that’s right, buys) the small town that Lindy was born and raised.

This is such a fun read . I got super invested in the family and also the representation of ADHD and creating an open dialog about that between Pat and his sister.

Oh this was a cute one! A perfect book for gloomy winter days because it’s pretty much hearts and sunshine. A little bit of HGTV with Hallmark channel… I feel like it could have stepped it up into a higher adult rating… I like a little more steamy steam in my rom-coms books.
Cute though!

As a huge Schitt’s Creek fan, the description of this book intrigued me. The Buy-In is an easy and clean rom-com, but I had a hard time enjoying the book. I felt that there was too much going on and a lot of characters to keep track of. The Schitt’s Creek vibe was lost for me.
I enjoyed the funny moments Lindy and Pat shared. I think the story would have been more enjoyable if some characters were removed and Lindy and Pat were explored more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

This book is about-
1. Small town
2. Second chance
3. Marriage of convenience
4. Forced proximity
5. Reverse grumpy sunshine
6. A custody thing
7. Romcom
Can you buy a whole town? Is it possible to own a town? This is what was done by the family of the pro football team. When Pat's dad told him that he BOUGHT a town which is called Sheet Cake Texas, he couldn't believe it. This name reminds him of his ex girlfriend Lindy. Lindy was the only person whom he loved but they left each other under some circumstances. Lindy was angry with him for not saying goodbye and told him some lies. Here Lindy is in the control of her niece who's a five year old baby and her sister wants to take her baby and filed a custody case. Now for Lindy to keep the baby, she needs stability a husband, handsome money. Lindy was shocked to see Pat in her town and Pat was determined to get her back. When Pat's father bought the town, they didn't know if the people of the small town will accept them or not. But the story keeps getting interesting.

The fun part is none of Pat's family was ready to move in some other town and they were furious about this fact. I just loved their family bonding. The most sensible among Pat's siblings is his sister. Pat worked really hard to gain Lindy's trust back and he and her niece got attached with each other so much. I loved the ending. A small town romcom book is I love. And their unwilling display of PDA is the best part trust me. I need a Pat in my life. So wholesome he is.

This book was so good. I LOVE Schitt's Creek so the synopsis drew me right in. Pat's Dad, Tank, bought a little town in Texas called Sheet Cake. Hilarious name. Pat's ex happens to live. Lindy and Pat have so much chemistry. When they dated previously he left her. After years of being apart they are still in love. Their banter, their sweetness with each other, Pat's bond with Lindy's niece Jo. I love it all. The storytelling is perfect. The character development is on point. So good!

Short and sweet:
Small town
Marriage of convenience/Fake marriage
Second chances
Closed door romance
Dual POV
MC with ADHD

I highly recommend this book! I can't wait for the second. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!