All Fired Up was an overall cute, quick rom com read! I actually finished this in less than 1 day!

All Fired Up tells the story of Imani and Zander, complete opposites who spent a weekend together a year ago. Now, they have a second chance.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters in All Fired Up. Between Zander being one of the sweetest male MCs ever, to the great, hilarious cast of supporting characters...it was fun to read! I loved the idea of finding what you really enjoy in life, and making sure to focus on more than money. Also, love love love the hot air balloon date scene! So cute.

My one comment is that the dialogue was extremely cheesy at times, but that didn't stop me from reading.

Thanks to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I love Dylan's first book and couldn't want to get my hands on a copy when I heard that she was writing All Fired Up! I love the way that this author writes and her characters are always ones that I could root for and give me hope. Her books make me think but are also fun and light hearted and they are truly perfect for the spring/summer seasons! She will always be an auto-read author for me and look forward to her next book. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review early!

This is a sweet and funny romance that delivers on that promise of a fun escape of a read with an HEA. Imani and Zander hooked up a year ago at the wedding of her best friend and his brother. Since then, Imani has ghosted Zander but can no longer avoid him as she's back in town to help her grandmother for the summer. Plus, Zander won't let her avoid him.

I love a hero who knows what he wants and isn't afraid of being vulnerable in putting it all out there. Zander is sweet, supportive and takes care of those he cares about. Imani can't help but resist his charms, despite being wary about his easy-going demeaner. Zander's competence and calmness make him such a great character. I enjoyed how Imani wasn't afraid to work hard and would do anything for her best friend and grandmother. These two had serious chemistry so it was hard at times to understand why she wouldn't just take a risk on them earlier, but it wasn't so troublesome that it was distracting. I enjoyed the ways they supported one another as they dealt with their survivor's guilt from previous experiences. There's a super quirky parrot, a hysterical grandmother, the return of the the characters we loved in Newton's first book in the series, and sexy times in a hot air balloon. I smiled the whole time I was reading it. This author is quickly becoming an auto-read from me. I would say any fan of Jill Shalvis or Annie Rains would love this one.

Thank you #netgalley for the chance to read this and give my two cents....
This is my first book by the author though I realize it's the second in a series. I feel like the characters had enough depth and description that I was able to segway with no problem. Loved Grandma, Imani and Zander were a bit too goofy initially but kinda grew on me. A little disappointed the author didn't address Zander childhood issue a bit more in depth but overall a cute quick read. Ryker is my favorite character and I look forward to his story next.

After one wild night together, two complete opposites plan to stay in the friend zone, but life has other plans.

Imani decides to spend the summer taking care of her grandmother. She doesn't count on a friendship with a former hook up, who also happens to be her best friends brother in law.

When Zander agrees to help Imani fix up her grandmother's house, she agrees as long as things stay platonic. But as they spend more and more time together, Imani realizes there might be more to Zander.

I was excited to read this book, because I enjoyed the authors previous book, "How Sweet It Is". If you have read the first book in the series, you will probably enjoy this one as well.

I wanted to love this one because I enjoy a friends to lovers trope- but this one was just okay for me. It was cute and had a great premise, but it just fell a little flat and I struggled to finish it. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and the writing seemed a bit repetitive. The book was also quite long at 368 pages.

If you enjoy rom-com's and are looking for a new book boyfriend, then you will enjoy All Fired Up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dylan Newton, and Forever Pub for the advanced e-book.

All Fired Up by Dylan Newton is a second chance romance combined with fierce friendship, a spunky matriarch, and a head over heals in love lead character. One of my favorite things about All Fired Up are the family relationships. This author had me laughing out loud but also brought all the feels of the heart. I absolutely loved these characters and look forward to reading more from this author.

All Fired Up was a fun and enjoyable story that makes we want to go read Dylan Newton’s other book in the same world, How Sweet It Is. While this isn’t technically a series of books, the characters do appear to be interconnected. Even without having read How Sweet It is, I was still really connected to the all the characters involved.

Imani and Zander are opposites who had a one-nightstand (well, two nightstand) at the wedding of her best friend and his brother almost a year before this story starts. Imani is on the cusp of total burnout from work and decides to take a small sabbatical to go home and help her best friend prepare for the birth of her first child and help her grandmother get back on her feet after some knew surgery. What she doesn’t expect it to be constantly running into Zander. While Zander is hoping they can really see where their relationship might lead them if they really gave it a chance.

I really enjoyed the characters and story, they were both clearly thought out and well developed, and the character development involved wad great. For the most part I really enjoyed how their relationship played out and how sweet and understanding Zander was. Imani did frustrate me at times with her back-and-forth with Zander.

The side characters were great. I already mentioned I want to go back and read Kate and Drake’s story and I cannot wait to see what Ryker’s story looks like. I also really enjoyed Imani’s grandmother and thought her character was a perfect addition to the story. Overall, this was a great book that I would recommend to anyone who likes the following:

✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ One Nightstand
✔️ He Falls First
✔️ Dual POV

This was a great read. I was invested from the beginning to see what would happen. I love how entagled the main characters' worlds are. I also loved the role Gigi played and how important she was. Overall, this was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.

When I initially started this book I didn't realise it was set in the same universe as Dylans first book. I would say this was a 3.5 for me. One night stand trope (or in this case two nights) can be a tough one to write as clearly there is chemistry there but having the characters figure out how to make it work can be tedious.

There were quite a few moments that had me cringing, in not necessarily a good way. Certain topics and communication tactics were not handled particularly well. I wish we had time to explore some of the issues Dylan brought forward like Zanders body positivity etc. We got mentions of it but I wanted more instead of sprinkling it in for flavour.

Imani Lewis is the ultimate workaholic who plans for everything. Zander Matthews is a fly by the seat of his pants type of guy. At her best friends wedding, they had one amazing night together but then Imani went back to her work heavy life. However, when her grandmother has to have a major surgery, she takes a leave from work and heads to her small town she used to call home to help her recover. Her life suddenly become intertwined with Zander’s and she is adamant about staying in the friend zone. Between them working on her grandmother’s house, her learning how to throw clay, helping her best friend and his sister-in-law prepare for her first baby, they continue to skirt the line of being more than just friends. Can Imani learn to let go a little and can Zander learn to follow his plans?

This was such a great fun read! I devoured it pretty quickly and couldn’t put it down. I always enjoy when a romance makes me smile and laugh. It wasn’t until I logged the book that I realized this was 2nd in a series. It makes sense since there are 3 brothers, but it wasn’t marketed as a series book. The first one was about Drake and then the last book will be Ryker’s story. I’ll definitely go back at some point to read ‘How Sweet It Is’ and will grab the next book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Working with clay is much like life. If things become off-balanced, you don’t have to throw it away. You pick it up and start over.”

“I waited a year for our first date. I’m ready to wait however long it takes for you.”

A second chance romance combined with fierce friendship, a spunky matriarch, and a head over heals in love lead character.

Imani likes control. In fact, she needs it. She thinks she can be prepared for anything with her Mary Poppins bag and 401(k). Zander lives in the moment. He has seen the fragility of life first hand and he wants to experience the here and now. He goes where the wind takes him - much like a hot air balloon. Imani and Zander push each other to see life from a different perspective. Zander helps Imani relax. Imani helps Zander see a need to plan for the future. This book is filled with another relationship where the characters push each other to be the very best version of themselves - and I love it.

Imani frustrated me at times - she was definitely not the nicest, to Zander, because she was choosing to put up walls. She was protecting herself, and Zander, and it really just made her miserable. She was fighting the inevitable. Zander never gave up. He was all in, head over heals, since day one. He was so respectful of her space though. He never pushed her, never pressured her. He was just there for her. Every time. He is so selfless.

Imani’s grandma, Gigi, was the real MVP. She is so strong, so loving, and so stable. Exactly what Imani needed until she could let Zander in.

I’m so looking forward to Ryker’s story and to read more about the Matthews brothers. They’re all so kind and selfless which are two things our world needs more of! One funny thing that stuck out to me was the author‘s use of “zing”. It was used as a verb for when two people “clicked”. “Zing” was used for the very same reason in the Hotel Transylvania movies and that connection just made me smile!

I received this ARC via NetGalley from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) in exchange for an honest review.

All Fired Up follows opposites attract Imani and Zander. While this story features minor characters from How Sweet It Is, the two stories can be read as standalones. Imani Lewis is a publicist for Cerulean Books based out of Los Angeles. One of her authors, Drake Mathew, a horror author, is now in a relationship with Imani’s best friend, Sweet Events owner, Kate Sweet. Imani returns to Wellsville, New York to help her grandmother recover from surgery and to help Kate prepare for her baby. Going back to Wellsville also means facing Zander, her weekend hook-up from the previous year who happens to be Drake’s youngest brother.

The story follows Zander and Imani as they try to navigate their feelings and lives. Their story is told from dual perspectives so the reader can follow along each side. Imani is at a crossroads in her life as she is not entirely happy with everything, including her career. She worries a lot about her life as she likes to plan for the future. Zander is the complete opposite and likes to live in the moment. He is a veteran who served as a marine and now is the owner of three pottery studios. When the two of them begin interacting, they shared great banter and chemistry. I loved how the two of them learned from each other even though they have two mindsets for their approach in life.

After her mother passed away while Imani was away from home, she still suffers from guilt and grief. Along with PTSD and mental health explorations, everything was handled well in this novel. The writing seemed not only authentic to reality, but it fit the characters. While the two characters did initially meet a year ago, it was nice that they still took the time to get to know each other. With some history together, there was a nice balance to their relationship and to the general pacing of the story. I greatly enjoyed Imani and Zander’s story and I cannot wait to read the next novel featuring the third middle-brother of the Matthews family, Ryker!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

Imani is a successful publicist and, like so many women, she puts everyone else before herself. So with her trusty list-making pens, she leaves her big city life to spend the summer with her Gigi (grandmother) and best friend. She plans to spend the summer fixing up Gigi's house and helping her best friend prepare for her first baby. She has no time for romance.

Zander is a blonde Jason Mamoa and Imani's weakness. After spending a real nice weekend (winky face) together over a year ago, Zander has never gotten over Imani. He's a free spirit and well-loved by his friends, family, and community but ultimately he has no plans other than to figure out if the chemistry between him and Imani is real.

All Fired Up is a fun romance and a perfect vacation read. The characters are funny, especially Gigi and her friends. Imani and Zander have incredible chemistry, and they are complex characters with good growth throughout the book. Imani could be a bit harsh, at times but I was still rooting for her.

I loved the dual POV, tension, spice, and laugh out loud bits. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to read this book after reading 'How Sweet It Is' last fall. One of my favorite things about All Fired Up are the family relationships. I especially loved Imani's relationship with her grandmother, and seeing Zander vibe with them. Zander was so thoughtful and sweet and I loved the development of him and Imani's relationship. It is rare when I am so wholey rooting for the male love interest, but that is how I felt about Zander! He is definitely a winner and I loved seeing the way he so selflessly helped everyone else's dreams.

All Fired Up is such a cute story. Dylan Newton is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are light but offer such depth, and All Fired Up is no exception. I loved the characters-it was such a fun read.

I really enjoyed this book! All Fired Up made me laugh out loud and pulled at my heart strings all at the same time! I absolutely loved these characters. Imani and Zander were so different and I found myself relating to both. Gigi and Lancelot were an absolute delight and were hot to steal the spotlight. Then, the end of the book pushed it over the top! What a treat. Dylan went the extra mile to give us the recipe for the star dish and the directions for May-I! I had marked those as things to look up but of course, Dylan, wouldn't leave us hanging. I'm am really looking forward to Ryker's book!

I was all fired up about reading All Fired Up. I love the different applications of the term throughout the book. Imani comes back For the summer to help out her grandma. She harried, harassed, and plagued by past baggage. To make the summer even more interesting, her weekend hookup hottie, Zander, is around. And he’s interested, very interested in her. Will she let her inhibitions go and finally enjoy life?
There are many great scenes in the book, one is up in the air. Zander is one of my favorite characters; women would jump through hoops to find a man like him. Gigi is so salty, just my type of gal, whose mind is usually in the gutter.
Make plans to read this book and bank those embers.

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of All Fired Up. I read How Sweet It is, which I enjoyed reading, and I was excited to learn that Imani and Zander got their own book. I really enjoyed this book!

Imani and Zander spent one night together but pledged to stay friends. Now, Imani is staying with her grandmother for the summer and they find themselves seeing one another a lot, especially as he helps fix her grandmother's house. As they find their feelings growing stronger, they continue to try to stay in the friend zone.

I'm not sure why, but I avoided reading this book for a while. I'm sorry that I did! It was wonderful! Imani's grandmother is a riot and I love the interactions between Zander and Imani. Zander was so patient as she seemed to go back and forth. This was well written and such a fun story.

Cute romance with lots of interesting side characters, including a sassy grandma and a crude parrot.
Imani and Zander spent the weekend together about a year ago when her best friend married his older brother. Now they're back in the same town, and he's determined to find out if their chemistry and connection was a one time thing or if it has potential to be more. Imani just wants to help her grandma and tries to resist Zander's charms, but every time she needs help, he's right there.
There's a lot of elements here - second chance, slow burn, opposites attract.
Imani's grandma provides a lot of funny moments, as does the parrot. The big point of the book is to see if Imani can slow down and enjoy her life, and if Zander can be serious enough for them to reach a compromise and have a relationship.
This was a quick, fun read, perfect for a summer vacation. There were a few heavy topics included for character history, but I found the overall current story to be lighter and fun.