Thank you Netgalley and Emma St. Clair for the gifted book!

"I'm not here for the man; I'm here for the Tex-Mex. That's my theme song folks."

Hilarious and endearing, full of small town charm, and a marriage of convenience, this book was more than I could have hoped for it to be. I loved how real the characters are with very attractive qualities and flaws as well. There is the most gloriously awkward scene in a Mexican restaurant, a proposal in a jail, flaming squirrels, and Texas high school football. The writing is hilarious and clever and makes me wish I was as witty and masterful with my words. I stayed up MUCH too late reading this one, and I am totally on board and excited for the rest of this series. It's going to be so good. SO GOOD.

This is a closed door romance.

4 ⭐️

I’ll be honest - I went into this with lower expectations once I realized the author wrote closed door romances. But this book was so FUN! And sweet! And silly! It had so many of my favorite tropes: marriage of convenience, second chance romance, small town romance, cinnamon roll hero - what more could I want?

I absolutely fell in love with all of the side characters and the town of Sheet Cake - I’ll be excited to read the rest of the series when it comes out.

I did think that the first half of the book was a bit slower, but once they got married and started living together I was hooked!

This book is for sure great for fans of Schitts Creek, but I’d also recommend for fans of Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias!

Thank you @NetGalley and Emma St. Clair for the ARC of The Buy-In in exchange for my honest review.

Emma St. Clair, where have you been all my life? You really delivered with this book!

At first, I thought this was going to be a no go for me with the town called Sheet Cake. I love Schitt's Creek, and I know there were many references to the show, but I just wasn't convinced this book would win me over. How wrong I was!!!

This book gave ADHD rep, second opportunities, steam (but fade to black which I normally don't like, BUT the romance was so good...the angst …yikes! So good!), found family, community, and some great flirting!

Characters were so well developed I could relate them to people I know and envisioned how they look. I thought the flow was on point and was never bored. I really enjoyed the movie quotes being part of the MCs communication.

I look forward to reading more about the Graham Brothers.

4.5/5 stars!

I can't get enough of Emma's books, each time I finish a book I'm always wanting more!
We all got a glimpse of Harper's brothers in Falling For Your Best Friend and I'm so happy we get more of them. Some me some Pat and can't wait to read James's story. This book just had me smiling and laughing out loud and give me a good Movie reference or tagline ... I'm here for it! This book just flowed and played out like a movie in my head while I read. This book gives you all the tropes .. marriage of convenience - check , second chance lovers- check, single parent, blended family - check check, If you read anything this Spring .. read this book and fall in love with the people of Sheet Cake Texas.

3.5 stars.
An enjoyable, sweet and fun read, with lovable, relatable characters, “The Buy-In”, by Emma St. Clair, is a story about second chances, youthful mistakes and learning with adversity.
The hero, Pat, is so besotted with the heroine and eager to reignite their past, unsuccessful romance that we cannot help but find him endearing and adorable and root for him. He’s optimist and humble and I liked these aspects in his personality.
I really appreciated the depiction of Pat’s ADHD, how he is often restless, impulsive, with all that unrestrained energy and “aversion to stillness”. He is also so steady and sure of his feelings and what and who he wants, which makes a beautiful balance with that condition.
I loved Patrick’s relationship with his father and siblings, all compelling characters with interesting personalities. Tank is a great character and he certainly deserves his own story.
In general, I enjoyed the characters, who are sweet, decent people, their back stories, and the plot.
I felt the story dragged a bit and could have been shorter.

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really enjoy the book
. It was an easy, and cute read - nothing more.

Two fundamental things about a romance story for me at least are the characters and their love, and I felt an attachment to neither. I understand I’m reading the buy in as a stand alone, having not read the series which it is a spin off of - but when it is hardly advertised as a spin off I expect to be able to read it on its own.

The characters felt two dimensional - their personalities seemed to change to fit the plot, I couldn’t succinctly sum either up - one soppy man who kind of tries to be this misunderstood figure but is just written like any other man in a romance novel. The girl had more depth to her but I really wish this was explored more.

The plot really fell flat. There was very little explanation - she seemed to forgive him for breaking her heart the second he took his shirt off, they never bothered to talk through their problems - not once did I look at this relationship and think ‘that’s what I want.’ The whole ‘my dad bought a town’ was never even elaborated on - simply a plot device, not the significant event you would think it was. The custody battle which the whole book leads up to is, to be honest, lazy writing - the resolution is nowhere near what you expect (and not in a cool plot twisty way either).

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased and authentic review.

The Buy ln by Emma St Clair
I give this book 4 stars

When Pat’s father purchases the town of Sheet Cake, Pat suddenly has a clear purpose: get his brothers on board with his dad's wild idea and win back the one woman who got away.
Lindy is stuck in a small town, caring for her niece,she would do anything to keep custody of her,even if that means a marriage of convenience with the man who already broke her heart once.

This is such a sweet and wonderful rom com. There is plenty of humour,clean romance, fun,friends and family to enjoy. .But this story also has added depth with a custody battle,dementia and ADHD. It is well written storyline ,with a great bunch of
entertaining characters that have relatable flaws so that you immediately feel at home with them. I loved Pat, Lindy and Jo and this small town in Texas.
A perfect book to pick up if you’ve been reading something heavier.
With thanks to Netgalley and Emma St Clair for my chance to read and review this book

4.5*

This is such a feel good small town second chance marriage of convenience rom-com. Both the characters are swoonworthy, they're well developed, with their fears relatable. Pat and Lindy actually fit well, and their bond is adorable. How Jo fitted in Pat and his family's life is also very cute.
Though I wish addiction was cast as the real villian but then I also understand who addicts are often looked upon as the original villians.
But despite that, I was almost smiling throughout, it was so easy to get through this and I am absolutely looking forward for other brother's books.

Overall this was a cute, heart-warming romance. I loved how much Pat pined for Lindy & Jo, it was absolutely adorable. That said, I do have a few concerns.

The primary one - the dehumanization of addicts. I really felt like Rachel was only in the story to benefit Lindy's character arc, not as a human herself. Additionally, there was never really anything positive said about Rachel. She was only talked about in the context of how she is a bad mother/daughter/sister. While this may be true, addiction is a disease and not a personality fault so this is something that really bothered me throughout the story. ESPECIALLY (spoilers ahead) when she took Lindy to court just to...no-show. It absolutely felt like the author only put the addiction in the story in order to create a villain who would create a very arbitrary conflict which would be solved just as arbitrarily.

Secondly - now, this one is less of a formal "concern" and more just something that irritated me. It bothered me a bit that Pat was already viewing Jo in a fatherly matter like two minutes after finding out about her existence. I LOVE a man who is good with kids and welcoming, etc etc, but that was just unbelievably quick. Not saying he should have been annoyed or unhappy with her by ANY means, but that he maybe could have waited a few pages to feel quite *so* attached, and it might have felt more natural and less forced.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know this book was a spin-off of another series, specifically Falling for Your Best Friend where Harper's father, Tank, and her three brothers were introduced. I have to say that Patrick was my least favorite brother in that book but reading his story changed my mind. All of these books I would call clean romance, by the way.
Patrick met Lindy during their last semester at college. Knowing their relationship had an expiration date when he went off to his NFL career and she started her dream job in travel journalism, they decided to follow certain rules: no meeting the family, no sex, and no long distance relationship. But when the day comes to say goodbye, Patrick just takes off, a mistake he's regretted ever since. Now, years later, his father buys a town and is trying to get the brothers in on moving their businesses there. Skeptical of this crazy plan, Patrick goes to Sheet Cake to check it out and gets the shock of his life when he finds Lindy still there, having never left after college, and having custody of her cute and precocious 5 year old niece, Jo. Now he's all in, trying to win Lindy back and convince her he won't leave her again.
I initially chose this book because I've never had an MC with my name before. And now I'm hooked! I can't wait to read James' story next.
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

4.5 ⭐
SO SO SO ADORABLE!!

With a touch of Schitt's Creek aspect, this second chance romance was just too cute.
I loved everything about this book from the characters to the setting to the writing.

Pat, OH MY GODD Patty was just perfect. A man who is head over heels for his girl and isn't afraid to let it show. His gestures and tactics were just so adorable and he was a full package perfect boyfriend material. His interactions with Jo especially had me swooning.

Lindy was a sweetheart. I could understand her dilemma and why she wanted to guard her heart. Her care for Jo was so good and her witty and sassy internal thoughts had me laughing out loud.

All the side characters were equally adorable and fun to read. I am so looking forward to reading James's story next. I can't wait to see what Sheet Cake has in store for him and Winnie.

Though I felt that the book was a little long and could have been cut short by avoiding some unnecessary details, this was a great laugh out loud romance novel to brighten my day. Loved each and everything about this book. Just the Perfect kind of romance novels I love and adore.

I think any fan of Emma’s books had been begging for the story of Harper’s brothers and you all she delivered! Pat and Lindy’s story was dreamy. Sparks flying off the pages! They were adorable and I enjoyed every page.
Plus we get all the pop culture references and laugh out loud moments you expect from one of Emma’s books.
Rom com fans go and read this book and fall even more in love with the Graham brothers.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Schitt’s Creek plus the second chance and marriage of convenience tropes would be the best way I could describe The Buy-In. Pat’s father buys the town of Sheet Cake, which just sold happens to be where the girl of his dreams is from. However, Pat doesn’t expect to see said girl, Lindy, in Sheet Cake since she’s supposed to away living her best life as a travel writer.

Lindy dropped her travel writing dreams and moved back to Sheet Cake to handle some family problems. Five years later, a bigger family problem and the ex-love of her life have both popped up around the same time.

This romantic story features lots of pop culture references, which I generally enjoy, but readers be warned if you don’t like that. I loved the first meeting between Pat and Jo! Great dramatic irony there. I also really liked the epistolary style inserts from the Neighborly app. I thought they did a great job of providing context and furthering the story in a showing, not telling, way.

Everyone gets a happy ending and the end of the book is left open so that another member of the Graham (Pat’s) family can get a love story. This was a fun, easy read, perfect as a beach book! 4/5 for me.

Lindy is overwhelmed trying to keep custody of her niece, work, and keep a roof over their heads. When her college boyfriend who broke her heart, Patrick, shows up in town it’s another wrench in the plan. Patrick is thrilled to have found Lindy again in the town his father just bought. He’s determined to win her back after his epic screwup in letting her go five years ago. When it seems like Lindy will need a miracle, or at least a fake marriage, to keep Jo, Pat volunteers. Can he prove he’s here for the long haul, or will the past be too much for Lindy to overlook?

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Second Chance Romance, Marriage of Convenience… this one checks all the boxes! Emma does it again with a book that will have you laughing out loud and rooting for the swoony hero to get the girl.

A casual conversation with his dad (aka Tank) leave Pat somewhat dumbstruck by the news that he has bought a town just outside of Austin, Texas. Somewhere he hopes that his children will help rebuild, providing a great location for James's brewery etc. Needing to get Pat on his side, Tank convinces him to take a trip to Sheet Cake (yes really!). Although Pat has been there a few years ago after he retired early from the NFL, hoping to find the girl that got away.

Having taken care of her niece, Jo, since she was a month old, Lindy is taken back to find that her sister is now pursuing custody. After no contact for the past five years, she just expects to walk away with Jo?? not on Lindyt's watch. Promising to do whatever she can to prevent losing Jo. Still reeling from the news her lawyer gave her she was not ready to come face to face with Pat, the boy who broke her heart.

It was only ever supposed to be a casual relationship before she headed off to travel the world and he was waiting for the NFL draft. Pushing each other away they have held on to the hurts all this time but the chemistry between them is still very much there. Pat is stuck in town for a while after an altercation with the locals and after he finds out about her predicament with Jo's case he offers to marry her to help out. Setting new rules in place Lindy needs to guard her heart before someone else in her life walks away. Whilst Pat hopes to break all the rules and convince her that he loves her.

Lindy and Pat are college sweethearts who broke each other’s hearts. Five years later they are reunited and marry out of connivence so Lindy doesn’t lose her niece who she’s cared for since birth. Can they get past their hurt and work it out?

Such a sweet read and endearing story. I really enjoyed the book and the slow build and they went back and forth. I was endeared to each character and found myself cheering for them all. Looking forward to reading the rest of the Graham brother’s stories…and maybe even their dad’s?

I absolutely loved this book. I am always wanting signed up for a fake dating, but in this case it is also a second chance romance. Pat is the absolute sweetest there is. When his father buys the town that Lindy lives in and sees her again he is all on board with not just his idea but everything that Lindy needs.

Definitely one of the funniest books I’ve read so far this year! Had me laughing out loud so much, my family kept giving me weird looks and asking “what?” 😆

Love the Graham Family! Oh Pat! He’s hilariously amazing and once he’s all in, there’s no stopping him!

Lil Jojo is adorably awesome and just the cutest that even the grumpiest of them all cannot resist her.

And Lindy, She’s been through a lot but her big heart never stopped caring and doing everything for the people she loves. There’s some times I want to just shake her and remind her that it’s ok to ask and receive help and not be too stubborn. Glad that the people who truly love her never gave up and that she finally opened her eyes and allow herself to receive the love she deserves!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

I kept waiting for this to get better but I feel like there was way too much going on.

Synopsis:

Lindy and Pat were a couple in college but one day instead of saying goodbye on their final date he decided to avoid it (enneagram 9 or 7?) and leaves without even a phone call. Now Lindy is a single mom to her niece and pat is a ex-athlete when pats dad buys the town Lindy lives in (Sheet cake, Texas) they finally see each other again. With an unexpected custody battle at hand Lindy and Pat get married to make it seem like jo is more together.



Review: (slight spoilers)



This whole thing could've just been fixed with a honest conversation

Pat: I love you and I'm sorry let's work on this

Lindy: I love you too, and I may not forgive you right away but I want to.

But no, we get a "custody battle" that seems like it's gonna be a huge deal that gets side lined. Some rude residents of sheet cake that apparently don't want better roads? Lindy doesn't want a home that is live-able? Pats offering to help and all and I get she doesn't want him to think she's using him but the husband isn't gonna cover up the fact that jo (her niece) is living in a tiny closet and the house is falling apart. We don't even get to them meeting again until 50% of the book and most of the information that was thrown at us seemed unfinished or irrelevant. The mom also had dementia and I just think there was too much going on and a lot of loose-ish ends.

Pat and Lindy have barely made a life together and they are acting / expecting things that don't make sense.

The author also included adhd info which is cool but it was waaaay too much stuff going on that my mind was just spinning and confused.

For some reason I can't stop wondering about the tv in the barn... like how much money does this dude have?

My most favorite part was the ending with Lindys mom. And the adoption. And verbing nouns. (Sorry tank)