Although it’s not indicated on Goodreads or Amazon, this is actually a follow-up to this author’s previous release, How Sweet It Is. If you’re interested you can check out my review here.

All Fired Up features Imani Lewis, best friend to Kate and publicist to Drake Matthews from the first book, and Zander Matthews, Drake’s younger brother. The two hooked up at Kate and Drake’s wedding and then haven’t really seen or talked since. Zander would like to rekindle their passion, but Imani has too much going on and doesn’t really think Zander’s laid back attitude toward life will mesh well with her no-nonsense, super scheduled, jump on top of that right now personality. But they keep getting thrown together and the chemistry is almost too much for them to ignore.

This was a cute book, full of physical humor and wacky situations… kind of like How Sweet It Is. I would also say that it is a little more serious than its predecessor. There is a lot of trauma in both the backstories of the main characters. The beginning sparked my interest right away and there were some amusing moments, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like it had the spark of the first book. It could be that the heaviness of the backstories diluted some of the humor, at least for me. There was chemistry between the main characters and I enjoyed the mix of their personalities.

The ending and HEA were sweet and put a smile on my face. I am looking forward to the last Matthews brother’s book.

✨ Review ✨ All Fired Up by Dylan Newton
This is the second book, following How Sweet It Is. This book feature's Katie's best friend Imani and Drake's youngest brother Zander. Imani comes to town burnt out from her job and ready to help care for her grandma Gigi who needs a double knee replacement and to help out Katie getting ready for the birth of her first child. After Zander and Imani's brief fling after Katie and Drake's wedding, they fight their magnetic attraction as they consider whether there's more to their relationship. Imani worries that her "plan everything" and Zander's "live for the moment" lifestyles conflict.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/m contemporary romance
Location: rural New York
Reminds me of: Newton's first book in the series
Pub Date: May 17

I really enjoyed this book - it had just the light, breezy love story that I needed. I loved the relationships between Imani and her grandmother (and her grandma's silly troublemaker bird - so much comedy there); the relationships between Zander and his two brothers; and Zander's devotion to helping ease Imani's load - from early on as she has a panic attack to helping her around Gigi's house. There's so much lovely positive relationship building in this book.

CW: However, if you're sensitive to characters who have spent time in the military or to gender reveals this may not be the book for you. Zander and his brother Ryker both spent time in the Marines (in part due to family obligation), but we see some trauma baggage from this for both brothers. The first third of the book hinges around a gender reveal for Katie, which while annoying to me, didn't necessarily ruin the book. The book also has some subtle messaging about the natural life progression of getting married, having kids, etc. Note there are also some mental health issues discussed.

If you can look past these potential issues though, this was such a fun book - great banter, a magnetic relationship, and just good feelings all around.

Read this if you like:
⭕️ small town romances
⭕️ hilarious (and sometimes naughty) birds and grandmas
⭕️ hot men making pottery
⭕️ hot air balloon rides

Thanks to @readforeverbooks and #netgalley for an e-copy of this book!

I didn’t read the first book in this series, so I admit that I didn’t have the character backgrounds that are in there.

I did not realize that the MC’s friend’s pregnancy and birth was going to be such a central focus in this story. It’s actually quite difficult for me to read about births so had i known this ahead of time, I don’t think I would have read this one.

That said, since I did read it, here are my thoughts. This story is about Imani and Zander who apparently had a one night stand in the previous book? That’s what I gathered anyway. They seem really attracted to each other but not much happens since Imani doesn’t want a relationship but Zander does.

Not a lot of depth to the story but it was a decent read.

This is a terrific opposites attract romance! We got to know Imani in How Sweet It Is and I loved that she got her own book and HEA. And you cannot help but love Zander. It was so wonderful how all-in he was from the very beginning of their romance, since he had such a reputation as a heartbreaker. It’s like they say in historical fiction, reformed rakes make the best husbands!

Taking time off to care for her grandma, Imani was really outside her comfort zone of work, work and more work. I loved how Zander was able to get her to really live in the moment. They had so much chemistry between these two, you knew a future for them was inevitable. And they had both suffered loss in their own way and I loved how they supported each other.

The comic relief of the book was Grandma “Gigi” and her foul-mouthed parrot, Lancelot. The things out of that bird’s mouth would make you blush.

There is so much to love about this story and I’m really looking forward to Ryker getting his own story too!

Imani Lewis is a workaholic for a publishing company, however when her grandmother needs her to take time off for the summer to help her recover from double knee surgery, Imani does not hesitate. Even if this means she'll have to see the man she ghosted after their two-night stand eight months ago - Zander Matthews. Zander is the complete opposite of Imani. He tends to fly by the seat of his pants and enjoys the present without focusing on the future. Until Imani that is. Zander is determined to do whatever it takes to prove to Imani that they can have more than just a hot and steamy two-night stand.

All Fired Up is the second novel by Dylan Newton which takes place in the same small town as How Sweet It Is, however it could be read as a stand-alone. This novel does reference events and characters from How Sweet It Is, but does not confuse the reader if those specifics were unknown. That being said, I would have preferred to hear more about the events at the wedding that caused the two-night stand, however that would have made the book even longer when it felt like it dragged on to begin with.

Imani and Zander were fine as characters, the side characters were fine and the events that happened were fine, but that's all they were. Just fine. There was nothing really grabbing my attention. There was nothing really keeping me hooked. But perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for this type of novel at the time of reading. Who knows. However, that being said, I would definitely be interested in continuing with this series and reading Ryker's story next.

Here's hoping you readers enjoy this one more than I did! 3/5 stars

I loved this! At first I was a little startled that we skip the initial one night stand and just get right down to business. But I think that deviation from the standard romcom equation ended up working really well. It gives Imani and Zander more time to work through their issues without feeling like it’s bogging the pace down.

All of the characters, no matter how little they appeared, each had their own spark. Which is hard to do. I didn’t feel like I wanted more from any of them to understand their relationships.

This cover makes me smile, now knowing the significance within the story. This was a really sweet opposites-attract romance! It's lighthearted and funny (kudos to Lancelot the foul-mouthed parrot) but also touching at times with its topics of grief and mental health. I enjoyed it even more than book one, How Sweet It Is.

After a one-weekend fling nine months ago, Imani completely ghosted Zander. Now she's back in the small town of Wellsville where it all started. Although knowing Imani is strictly there to help with her best friend's baby shower and grandmother's double knee replacement, Zander simply cannot get her out of his head. And he's desperate to understand if what he feels between them is real.

Oh, Zander Matthews! I adored him and his ceramics studio. Striving for happiness over anything, he's often misunderstood for his chill outlook and lack of stability. I really loved his eagerness to charm Imani, eventually leading to the BEST first date. These two were truly opposites, but the ending was such a beautiful balance of both their personalities and dreams. I cannot wait for book three!

A fav read last fall was Dylan Newton’s “How Sweet It Is” so I was really excited to get this arc of book 2 that centers around Drake’s publicist and his youngest brother. And oh my—Zander was swoony and sweet, y’all! The flirty younger brother whose love language is obviously acts of service? Here 👏 for 👏 it 👏

Imani is type A to the core and is plucked out of the rat race to spend the summer as a post-op caretaker to her very sassy grandma… and also apparently deal with her debilitating stress and some emotional baggage.

The career-driven woman who just needs to be calmed down by Mr. Right always induces side eye from yours truly. However, I really enjoyed Imani and Zander’s story.

The characters have many similarities in their histories, but they each deal with and move on in ways unique to their personalities. And, in the end, it’s a good reminder that we each have to do our own work to create the picture of success that is just for us.

While I’m sure this could be a standalone read, I’d highly encourage reading Kate & Drake’s story before diving in. The stories are so entwined, and the pair makes for such a sweet read.

After having loved How Sweet It Is, I was really excited to read this story about the next Matthews brother.

But I am sad that this book didn't reach my expectations. I gave this book three stars for some cute moments and some funny lines but the whimsy and adorable love story from the book was missing. This book was heavier than the first and it brought the book down in my opinion. I still am a huge fan of Newton's writings and will still be picking up the third book, I just wish this book gave me a little more to make me really fall in love with Imani and Zander.

I was not able to finish this book because it did not interest me after all. I tried skimming through All Fired up to see if something would catch my eyes.

I had to mark it as a did not finish early on at about 30 percent or so.

This will still probably work for others especially if they loved the first book. I did love the first one, this just didn't work for me this time for some reason at this time.

Thank you publishers and Netgalley for allowing me the chance to read and review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first by Dylan and I was very pleasantly surprised. Super cute love story with adorable mcs. Highly recommend for a spring read

I read How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton last year and completely fell in love with her writing. When I saw she was coming out with another book following Imani and Zander, I instantly added it to my tbr pile and of course it did not disappoint.

We follow Imani Lewis who is a successful book publicist and Zander Matthews who runs a ceramics studio in his small home town. Imani takes the summer off from her job to help her grandmother recover from surgery and help fix up her house. Zander offers to help Imani with any repairs that need doing while also trying to figure out if the spark they had a year ago was just a spark or something more.

I loved everything about this book. The romance was sweet and heartwarming. The setting was perfect and Gigi made the entire story for me. I loved her sassy attitude so much. The only issue I had with the book was that Imani could get annoying sometimes but overall it was great.

Even though I didn't love this one as much as How Sweet It Is, I still highly recommend picking this one up when it releases on May 17th. It’s the perfect pick me up/summer rom-com!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the e-arc in exchanged for an honest review!

This is my first Dylan Newton book and it certainly won’t be my last. I fell in love with the MC’s and their character build. I love quirky side characters and this was done so well! It gets a bit “hallmark” in some moments but all around really pulled me in and made me swoon. Any time there is a small town setting, it always reminds me of a hallmark movie (so that’s on me). But I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to get out of a book hangover or slump. It’s an easy, light read that will make you flutter!

Thank you NetGally and Forever Paperback for allowing me to review this book!

Zander Mathews is officially a front runner for favorite book boyfriend of 2022!

Imani comes to town for the summer, burnt out from her publishing career in NYC, to take care of her grandmother who is having double knee replacement surgery and to be there for her BFF Kate who is pregnant. Little does she expect to see Zander, her one night stand from Kate and Drake's (also her co-worker and Zanders brother) wedding to want to start things up again. Zander's Drake's youngest happy-go-lucky brother, with no real roots in his life. Imani is structured, high strung and promised back to NYC at the end of the summer. They shouldn't work together, but somehow Zander is always showing up for Imani when she needs him most.

We've got so many great tropes here, opposites attract, cinnamon roll hero, small town romance, book about books and more! I loved that Imani was this complex lead. She has trauma in the past that hasn't been resolved and Zander kind of hides behind this YOLO facade. I definitely related to both of their issues. The secondary characters are so charming and memorable. I loved how unfiltered Imani's grandmother was, and Zanders family is just written so perfect! Each brother and the mom have such a unique characteristic and I want to be an honorary Mathew just so I can get the goodies from the mom's shop! I cannot wait for the next brother in the series!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 5/17!

I liked Dylan Newton’s, How Sweet It Is, but this sequel is even better. The book begins with Imani Lewis arriving to spend a couple months with her grandmother (Gigi) who is going to have knee surgery. It coincides with the impeding birth of her future godchild whose mother (Kate) has been her life long best friend. Imani also works for the publisher and promotes the work of Kate’s husband Drake a best selling novelist. (They were the MCs in the first book.) Zander Matthew is Drake’s brother and all around helpful, zen, good guy. While the four are awkwardly in a car returning from the airport Imani shares that Zander and she hooked up for two nights during the Kate and Drakes wedding ten months ago. And that she ghosted his texts and messages since then.

Zander is still interested in the list making, everything must be under control, Imani. And the sparks are still there. There are gender reveals, lamaze classes, Gigi’s surgery, a fowl mouthed parrot and an amazing date that throw Imani and Zander together. I like how the story flowed. Not everything felt like it could realistically happen in the time frame that they do (especially when Zander decides to make some changes) but I’m not complaining. The characters are fun. I love the honestly and grown-up-ness of Zander and Imani. And I love that they both chose to change their lives whether they worked as a couple or not. And I enjoyed the friendship of Kate and Imani too and didn’t mind it taking up parts of the story. There is one more Matthews brother left so I will be looking forward to Ryker’s story next. As a bonus the author includes a recipe and directions to a family card game. I’m going to try the game for sure. (I’m better at cards than cooking.) Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I saw How Sweet It Is all over Booksta last year but never ended up adding it to my humongous TBR pile. But when I saw the next book in the series available as an ARC on NetGalley, I couldn't resist ! As it promises to be, it's a fun, cute story. There are some heavier topics broached, but the overall tone of the book remains light and entertaining.

I enjoyed the story but didn't feel emotionally attached to the main characters, so I'd give it ⭐⭐⭐.75

ALL FIRED UP by Dylan Newton
⭐️ rating: 5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 genre: mystery | suspense
🔥 steam: Rated R, open door romance
💫 tropes: Second chance romance, one night stand, brother's wife's best friend

This book. You guys.
I was in the middle on Newton's debut novel, HOW SWEET IT IS, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one...but the chemistry & banter between Imani and Zander just JUMPED off the page and I was in love. These two are a lot of fun to see together - you can tell from early on that they bring out the best sides of each other. They are playful, supportive, and accepting - warts and all.

And the steam - GET ME A FAN, because it is gooooooood. That scene up against the wall - well, iykyk.

I think my favorite part of this book was (POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD, but not really - because it's a romance and can you REALLY spoil the end of those) that this wasn't a "I'm going to change for you" romance novel. It was a "wow, you made me see that my life does need some changes so I'm going to make these changes for me - and if you still want me after, cool, if not then I guess that's cool too." Zander made changes FOR HIMSELF to improve their life FOR HIM, not to please someone else but because someone else made him see he was stuck and he wanted to be unstuck.

I really loved seeing Zander's character development in this way. Imani also improves over the course of the novel, but not quite as much as Zander, in my opinion.

Long story short, READ THIS BOOK.
You're gonna love it.

I loved How Sweet It Is and All Fired Up did not disappoint. I throughly enjoyed reading the cameos and getting an update about Drake and Kate.

4.5 stars

Okay listen. I LOVE Dylan Newton. She really know how to write the perfect cute romance novels!! I really enjoyed her debut novel, and now that I got the chance to read her second novel, I'm even more in love with this story and her writing!!

Zander is literal perfection, and him and Imani make my heart happy. I love that this book follows the second Matthew’s brother and we get to see Kate and Drake from the first book!! This story had so many amazing moments, and y'all are NOT ready for Gigi. She's hilarious and the epitome of a badass grandma. I was laughing so hard.

Also, If a book makes me tear up and keeps me feeling emotional, it ABSOLUTELY deserves its high rating from me.

Claps all around for this lovely book that made me swoon more times than I can count and was just all around so freaking lovely!!!!! Add this to your TBR besties!

Imani and Zander share an intense weekend. She returns to her busy work life and ghosts Zander for nearly a year. With her grandmother's upcoming surgery and her best friend's pending childbirth, Imani returns to the scene of the crime and sparks flare.
I expected to like this more than I did but ultimately it didn't meet the bar How Sweet It Is set. My favorite characters were in the cast: namely Gigi, Ryker, and the irreverent bird. While initially the humor filled with innuendo put a smile on my face, it became a little too much and I desperately wanted more of a dive into the backstories of both MCs. They each had traumas leading up to the story that seemed glossed over at best.
Thank you to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.