I adore Imani and Zander's love story, it is sweet, inspiring, and absolutely the cutest. Both characters are very relatable and fun. You will indeed find love in the most unexpected time and place even when you’re not even looking. So if you love a realistic love story with well-developed characters and the funniest grandma, this book is for you!

Imani Lewis has worked hard in her publishing career. In fact, she's become somewhat of a workaholic. She's almost at the point where it's getting to be too much. When a promotion is offered, Imani decides to take some time off to reflect on what she really wants instead of leaping at the opportunity. It just so happens that her grandmother is having surgery and needs Imani around to help out afterward. Unfortunately, this also takes Imani to the small town where her former one-weekend-stand lives.

Zander Matthews makes sure every present-day of his life is lived to the fullest. If his time in the Marines taught him anything, it's that our days aren't guaranteed. But this has also kind of kept Zander from really putting down roots and looking towards the future. But then he meets Imani and the attraction he feels for her has him considering things in his life he hadn't wanted to before.

I'm really happy that Dylan Newton went to another Matthews brother for this book (looking at Ryker for the next one!). I loved seeing the growth in the characters from How Sweet It Is to this one and I look forward to continuing to see the growth for the, hopefully, next one.

I thought it was interesting that this huge thing that happened between Zander and Imani was both off-page and, basically, in between books. All Fired Up starts and unbeknownst to readers, Imani and Zander already have this apparent connection and we kind of get the blanks filled in as the story goes along.

I thought this approach worked really well with the fact that these are characters that we're already familiar with from the first book, so there was no real meet-for-the-first-time scenario. Kind of like the first book served as an introduction to this place and these characters as a whole.

With that said, I enjoyed seeing where each Imani and Zander come from. How their experiences influence the lives they lead today. How these life-altering tragedies occurred in each of their lives and how they each kind of took things in a different direction.

Imani lost her mother in a house fire. A fire is something that rages out of control yet is also capable of being contained.

Zander witnessed his brother injured in the line of duty and was his caregiver as he recovered.

So Imani chooses the path of having to make sure to always be in control, and always have a plan and a backup plan in place for every contingency.

Zander saw how precious life is, how quickly it can be taken away, and decided to live each day to its fullest not thinking any further ahead than that.

But they also fill in the gaps with each other and that's what makes their connection so sweet and satisfying. How Imani can learn to relax a little, learn that sometimes surprises can be just as fulfilling as a plan. With Zander, he in turn can learn that living life to the fullest can include looking toward the future with a plan in hand.

Dylan Newton has become an author whose books I anticipate. I'm particularly looking forward to Ryker's book. With Zander being as close to Ryker as he was, we get a little bit of a better glimpse of his character this time around.

You don't have to have read Dylan Newton's previous book in order to enjoy All Fired Up. It completely stands on its own, but the characterization that I felt come across so wonderfully in this book is only heightened because I read the previous one.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

Really like the start of the book, but as time went on the story felt like insta love without any real basis. I didn’t really get why he liked her. That made it difficult me to connect with the characters, even though I found them interesting. This book appears to have its fans but it wasn’t for me. I still would recommend others check it out. Maybe in the future I will try to read it again and see if I feel differently.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

**Thank you to forever and netgalley for the advanced copy of All Fired Up**

This was a cute standalone, however if you read Newton’s previous work How Sweet It Is (which I did not read yet but is staring at me from my TBR), then you probably would have already been introduced to some of these characters.

All Fired Up follows Zander and Imani and their story following their one night burning hook up at Kate and Drake’s (Drake is Zander’s brother) wedding. I’ll just up front and say I was not sold on Imani. I didn’t really like her. She seemed kind of miserable and really wanted nothing to do with Zander and then in the last third or so of the book miraculously changes her mind and decides she can make it work and wants to be with him. I wasn’t really sold on the change of heart she had.

I did like Zander a lot, I thought he was a sweet puppy of a boyfriend and I really loved that he was still so persistent to win Imani over.

Over all this was a cute read and I love that the cover art took from a great scene in the book- the best scene in my opinion. I’m excited for the third brother (Ryker’s) to have his own book next year.

This was cute. I personally need a little more angst in the romance books I read. This was a very sweet one, which I know a lot of people enjoy. Imani went back and forth a little too many times with her feelings. I really enjoyed Gigi and the bird. The humor from them was on point!

All Fired Up by Dylan Newton is about Zander and Imani. The two shared one wild night together and both have different feelings about it. Zander can’t stop thinking about and Imani wants to forget about it. I wished I liked it more, but I didn’t feel chemistry or heat between Zander and Imani. Plus, with all the issues with Imani, Imani’s grandmother, her best friend’s pregnancy, it felt too somber to be entertaining. There were a couple of cute moments and some romance, but it was not enough for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

All Fired Up is a follow up to How Sweet It Is, following Zander, Drake's brother, and Imani, Kate's best friend. Imani and Zander had a weekend fling, following the wedding of Drake and Kate. With Imani coming to town for the summer to help her grandma after she has surgery, and to be here for the birth of Kate's first child, she and Zander will be seeing a lot of each other. Problem is, Imani ghosted Zander after the wedding weekend. Zander has been hung up on Imani for nearly a year and is trying to prove he's worth her while. But Zander has a reputation of being very non-commital, fly by the seat of his pants, while Imani likes to have things planned out. His nonchalant attitude about life makes him seem not serious about the future. They try to remain just friends, but the chemistry is off the charts. Can Zander prove to Imani he is worth the risk and they could have a future?

I wanted to love this. It sounded so cute. And overall it was. My biggest issue was the first part of the book. It was soooo repetitive. Especially Imani's perspective. The constant whining about being attracted to Zander but it would never work. After the first 3 times, it got old. The ending was a little rushed too... with all the major changes Zander makes in a short period of time. I did feel their chemistry though, and thought Zander was super cute trying to woo Imani.

Trigger warnings: death of a parent, anxiety

All Fired Up
By dylan newton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  If your looking for  a fun summer read this is perfect! I completely loved it so much and I love the friendship bond between Imani & Kate! And the romance was was so good! Highly recommend! Out now!

This was a well-written, entertaining book. It was fun, fast-paced and held my interest. I wanted to find out what would happen. I enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author.

I loved How Sweet This Is last year and this is just as cute and lovely! Imani (Kate's bff) is the main character in this one along with Zander the youngest Matthew's brother.

I really liked the opposites here from type A Imani to the more free spirit Zander. Imani's grandmother was so sweet and funny and the parrot!! Zander was such a romantic and great guy.

While I really enjoyed this I wish there had been a little more Imani and Zander. I felt like Kate was such a huge part of the story (her baby shower & pregnancy) and it was fun to see more of them in this book. So if you haven't read How Sweet It Is I recommend it before this one.

I can't wait to read Ryker's story next!

Dylan Newton is an auto-buy author for me and All Fired Up was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so to say I was excited to read this one would be an understatement!

This is Imani's book—Kate's best friend and Drake's publicist from How Sweet It Is. After a one (or rather two) night stand with Drake's hot (Jason Momoa crossed with a Viking) brother at Kate and Drake's wedding, she had hoped it would be a while before she ran into him. No such luck though, he's right there to pick her up at the airport when she flies in to spend the summer with her grandmother, and help her recover post surgery.

Zander is tired of just being thought of as a good time but a bit of a flake, and he’s determined to win a second shot with Imani, so he’s doing everything he can to give her what she needs and show her he’s worth the chance.

In true Newton style this book is full of hilarious catastrophes, witty banter, and tender moments too. Not to mention a foul-mouthed parrot 🦜 named Lancelot. It was an all-round adorable second-chance, small-town romance—and one you’re definitely going to want to pick up.

This book is an excellent representation of second chance romances and all the complexities of handling adult responsibilities. Taking place in a small town outside of NYC, Imani makes her way to her grandmother's house for the summer in order to help her prepare and recover from double knee surgery. She is surrounded by her best friend who is preparing to have a baby, and the bane of her existence, her last passionate one-night stand who wants the possibility of more from her. ⁠
⁠
This story is excellent for those who like romance without much spice and love a man who is a simp for their woman. I absolutely loved Gigi and her TikTok tendencies and Lancelot with his inappropriate comments. ⁠
⁠
I need to read the standalone book before this to get more of these gorgeous marine Matthew brothers. ⁠
⁠
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the opportunity to read this work of art.

All Fired Up • Dylan Newton ⭐️ - 4 Stars
•
•
This is Dylan’s follow up novel after How Sweet It Is. While it doesn’t say this book is part of a series I would recommend reading How Sweet It Is and then All Fired Up.

I after reading How Sweet It Is I couldn’t wait for Dylan’s next book! I was so happy that we jumped right back into this group, through Imani and Zander’s eyes. While I did enjoy hearing about what has been happening to Drake and Kate from the last book I wish they weren’t as prominent, as I felt that a good portion of the book was more focused on them.
But with that being said I still really did enjoy it! I thought Zander and Imani were great together and they were exactly what each other needed, one goal oriented and the other free spirited. The whole hot air balloon scene was great one of my favourites for sure!
The side characters introduced were great! Gigi and her girlfriends are hilarious and loved how they were keeping with the times. Also Lancelot was hilarious! He defiantly made me laugh while reading!
I also loved how we learned a bit more about Ryker in this book and can’t wait for his story!

•
•
Thank you to @NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I had been looking forward to Zander & Imani's story since spitting their chemistry in How Sweet it Is. I loved how the book dealt with serious issues like grief, caretaking, & post military life. I loved getting to know more of their quirky small town & all the humor that was infused in.

All Fired Up is a sweet opposites attract read. Zander is an easy-going guy who lives for the now and Imani has everything scheduled and is always prepared for a crisis. They have tons of chemistry and Zander is an unrepentant flirt. Kate and Drake from How Sweet It Is play a really big part in this book, so much that the ending was hard for me to get through because it focused on the birth of their daughter more than Imani and Zander. I have not read How Sweet It Is so I found myself skimming to get to the MC's hea. While this is a good read, it just didn't do it for me. There's nothing wrong with it, it has good characters, great banter, and a lot of charming moments, just not quite for me.

This book was a fun treat! I loved it! It was a good reset after I read a heavier book. It kept me flipping pages well past my bedtime!!

First off I would like to thank NetGalley for this ARC, however all opinions remain my own.

I am so glad I read this book. I really liked Imani and Zander as characters, and as partners. One of my favourite things was how much I enjoyed Zander being a realistic fully fleshed-out character. He was funny but kind, and thoughtful.

Their love story wasn't a traditional slow burn but it felt like our patience was still rewarded in the end.

Gigi, her grandmother, is truly one of my favourite characters she was so funny and lovely.

I highly recommend this series and am SO excited that Ryker's book is next!

All Fired Up is a second chance romance between Zander and Imani who appeared in How Sweet It Is. This book was filled with a funny bird that had a potty mouth and funny grandmas. I love how the book addressed mental health and made it a big topic in the book while keeping the book fun.

I appreciate the dual POV and narration which made the book so entertaining. I loved seeing Kate and Drake having a big role in this story. I can't wait to read Ryker's story.

This review may contain spoilers.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, How Sweet it is. I remember reading it super fast because I was very invested but I could not get into this book. My biggest issue was Imani. She played the martyr throughout the entire book. One of the other characters even called her out for it and she still didn’t stop. Every time she did something or said something that annoyed me (which was ALOT) I just rolled my eyes. I felt like Imani treated Zander like s**t and I was not here for it. I really liked Zander though and I think he deserved better. Sorry NOT sorry.

This book dealt with a lot of serious topics and
I kind of feel like there are a lot of trigger warnings for this book. I feel like the author should have addressed them at the beginning of the book but she did not.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there was certain parts of this book that didn’t sit right with me. For example (this is a spoiler,) when Kate was giving birth. That whole scene was just way more than I wanted to read about. It was a lot. It was not necessary at all.

I am looking forward to Rykers book in the sense that he is such a mystery so I am looking forward to learning more about him as a character but I also know because he has a traumatic past that I think it will be a

CW: Panic attack (ch 2), mention of suicide (ch 4), talk of depression and bipolar disorder, death of a parent, Migraines, difficult childbirth, c-section, loss of a limb, being injured during military service.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.