When I picked up this book I was really hoping I would enjoy it. Sometimes I just want to a light, entertaining read, with a sweet love story, especially if that story follows an enemies-to-lovers relationship dynamic. Sadly, this book turned out to be not right for me.

For once, it was just so hard for me to focus on the story. I could not vibe with the characters, nor with the relationship between the two main characters.

Having said that, I did appreciate some interesting elements of the book. Firstly, how the author’s is able to take inspiration from the classic romance novels, (particularly those written by Jane Austen), which is then reflected in the passages from Emma’s books. Lastly, how the author considers the debate on what can be consider good/worthy writing, and how some genres are often promptly excluded from that consideration.

Thank you to Netgalley and Escape Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wasn't a fan of this book, in all honesty. I do like that it combines a bit of historical romance and contemporary romance. I also appreciate the main character's views on historical romance, or romance in general, that being that these books are loved and valued by readers worldwide and are often looked down on because of the reader demographic. Something that really bothered me about this novel was the constant jabs at her weight. Her family mentions her thighs, which makes sense as she doesn't get on with her parents, but even her friend pokes her in the stomach and says she needs to workout. He is supposed to be her best friend and know she is highly stressed, so I'm not sure why making her feel bad about her weight was exactly necessary. I think that there is constant miscommunication in this book, which is something that grates on me. Most of the issues in this book would be solved if the late 20 and 30 year olds acted like adults instead of teenagers. I feel like this book fell flat and the characters did not motivate in any way, they also has little development over the entire story.

Just finished reading this amazing book & I could not for the life of me get enough of it! From beginning to end this book was one squeal-y moment after another!

I absolutely loved how relatable the character of Miles was and how her anxious moments near debilitated her but yet in the end, she pulled through and we all sighed in “Yes, panic attacks will not win today”.

On the Same Page tells the story of Miles, a lawyer hiding a big secret from the world.. she is the author Emma Browning, a historical romance author whose books have delighted readers with her strong female characters. When her friend and assistant enters Emma Browning into a contest, Miles does everything in her power to try to keep the secret of Emma but when publisher and amazingly good looking Lars comes around demanding that Emma finally be brought into the world after years of being anonymous.. it is up to Miles to deter this man at every turn. Of course, it wouldn’t be a successful romance novel if she succeeded! These two characters were simply a joy to read & I could not have been happier with the ending.

On The Same Page by Penelope Janu was a quick read that made me smile. Our heroine, Miles, is a lawyer with pretentious, established parents, provoking a necessary nom de plume to express herself through her writing. After winning a literary award, the chase is on to unmask Miles' alter ego, the beloved author, Emma Browning.

This book features Jane Austen-inspired scenes. hilarious coping hobbies, and a woman fiercely protecting her identity so she has an outlet to be and express everything she desires without shame or consequence.

In regard to the romance, the avoidance and elongated resolve whilst part of the plot, began to get frustrating after a point. There was a smidge of dynamic that bugged me in how they spoke to one another. Poignant projection that perhaps highlighted drama, didn’t seem to fit well?

However, her best friend Jack gives me My Best Friend’s Wedding vibes—- loved his character best and made up for the elements that made my eyes roll.

I also loved how this book demonstrate commitment to the craft and that authors sometimes go in researching for the authenticity of the piece.

Wonderful for fans of The Hating Game and Austen-esque romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Escape Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

DNF
I read like 1/3 of the book, I was trying to get into it and giving it so many chances, but it's just not working for me. I thought I was going to like it because of the plot, but while reading it I just couldn't connect with the characters or the story. I was feeling bored all the time. Maybe it is not the right time for this book for me.

Thank you for the free e-book anyway!

I wanted to love this book. I promise I tried.

It very much reminded me of "By Any Other Name" but in reverse. I think that the premise of the book was great, and could have easily bumped up a star or two if it was just a bit more refined, but it felt rushed in some parts, anf then far too slow in others.

I felt like Miles thoughts jumped around a ton and were hard to follow at times, and for someone who has a brain that jumps around on its own, it made it difficult to give it my attention.

I did however love the thought and time that the author put into the inclusion of other books and authors within her book!

Thanks to Escape Pubishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

On the Same Page is a light hearted and easy to read book by Aussie author Penelope Janu. Fans of romance fiction will really enjoy this novel with some much needed escapism; how could I not pick it up with the lead name of Miles Franklin (aka My Brilliant Career!) However, being the author Penelope is, delve a little deeper and you will find some interesting themes.

‘My Brilliant Career was a love story, Maurice.’ I force a shaky smile. ‘But it wasn’t a romance.’ ‘Of course.’ He smiles sympathetically. ‘The heroine Sybylla refuses the hero’s proposal. It lacks the secret ingredient.’ ‘There is no happy ending.’

Firstly, I loved the exploration of the romance genre and the supposed/probable/likely flack it receives from the ‘more respected’ genres. The underlying innuendo here was on point. I appreciated how cleverly Penelope brought under the spotlight the many styles of writing.

‘Historical romance novels are extremely popular.’ ‘They’re formulaic rubbish for simple-minded women,’ Dad says. ‘What were the judges thinking?’

I loved the many references and nods to famous literature, characters and quotes. Not only did it demonstrate Penelope’s great love for these books, it was like a love letter for those of us who adore some of the classics. The inclusion of the writing of a Regency romance in parallel with the main story interspersed throughout was fun and again demonstrated Penelope’s finesse.

‘I wonder if Jane Eyre’s Mr Rochester had perfect diction? Is that why she fell in love with him, even though he was bad-tempered and kept a mad wife in the attic? Did Persuasion’s Anne Elliot fall in love with Captain Wentworth’s military stance and impeccable manners? Wentworth put his hands behind his back when he was cross. Lars puts his in his front pockets. What about Wuthering Heights ….’

Front and centre, of course, this is a rom-com with all the comedy of errors and encounters. It’s light, fluffy and fantastic. A truer example of the enemies to lovers trope would be hard to find. Penelope includes a subplot of teenage crisis - a bit too much? …. hhmm … I’m not sure. Whilst I applaud the statement being made here, I don’t think it needed to be included.

On the Same Page has everything romance readers look for from the witty and fun banter, to a swoon worthy leading man. With memorable literary references and a solid case for the respect owed to romance writers, I suggest all lovers of this genre get On the Same Page.

‘It supports my view that love stories count, that romance novels are important and should not only be celebrated and admired, but valued and respected. Romance novels care for readers, just as readers care for them.’









This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

On the Same Page by Penelope Janu

Emma Browning is a historical romance author who just won the Stapleton Award, a prestigious award given only to the most respected writers. Unfortunately for Emma, she had no intentions of competing or even winning. Not only would it give Iconic Publishings ownership to her books, it meant Emma would have to reveal her true identity as Miles Franklin, a socially anxious but successful lawyer. How will Miles keep her pseudonym hidden while dealing with the overbearing and overconfident CEO of Iconic, Lars Kristensen? How will she handle the attraction between her and Lars, all the while dealing with the pressures of her upcoming release of her new book?

This novel was actually interesting. It gave a glimpsed of how things are done in the publishing world. I also enjoyed the snippets from the novel Miles was writing. I both loved and disliked the novel. I enjoyed the story, I even cried at the end. The romance and the plot was decent. The conflict, i felt like was dragged on and was at some point, unclear. It was clear that her hidden identity was the biggest conflict but there were multiple times that it seemed more than that but it wasn’t explained or written well. The sexual tension was MEH and it just comes back to how the conflict between the main characters was confusing and it LITERALLY got in the way of the romance. The groveling at the end, though, was A++. Definitely enjoyed it and I almost cried from it.

This book follows Miles Franklin, who by day is a lawyer but by night goes by the author name of Emma Browning. We follow Miles as she has to come to terms with Emma suddenly being in the spotlight.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was so fun. It began rather slowly for me and I was struggling to get into it but about 45% of the way through, I was obsessed and literally could not put it down.

Miles' character development was a favourite of mine and I really loved seeing her become her true self eventually. Lars was a dreamy guy who you can't help but fall in love with.

All the side characters were a great addition to the book and only made me fall in love with it more.

I rated this book 4 stars and would definitely recommend.

What a turn pager!, I do not stop turning page after page because in addition to the attractiveness of a book talking about books, it is a book about a historical Romance writer, an indie author who writes in her spare time while reviewing contracts in her office and deal with anxiety attacks and being swept by the lords and dukes facing their heroines in her mind
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Miles is named after a great Australian writer and her parents, two prolific award-winning writers, always hoped she would follow in their footsteps but for her Historical Romance is the only medium she feels it
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Deciding to pursue her law career, Miles writes and publishes her books under the pseudonym Emma Browning. Quiet in this routine where she is a lawyer and a representative of others authors, she is completely shaken when her assistant makes her enter a publishing contest and with it brings the noisy representatives of the publishing house demanding to meet the author.
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As Miles tries to wriggle out of the contract and regain her claimed peace of mind, she finds herself confronted by Iconic Publishing's sexiest and most insufferable CEO Lars Kristensen
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Miles not only shows the background of being an indie Author and fighting for the rights of her work, but also reveals how the genre has a layer of shame and contempt towards writers who must hide behind a pseudonym and their readers for not being considered a respectable literary genre
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With funny situations, a group of very witty characters, excerpts from the books and mentions of great literary works, Penelope Janu touches on several important topics such as the difficulties of independent authors, publishing industry ,Australian communitie centers and anxiety with characters that grows and can be able to believe in oneself and hold their head high while they own their storys
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I really enjoyed this book a lot and that is something that I had been struggling to do with books from a simple point of view. Jack, Pippy and even the girls in the pole dance class were delicious and the love story was so good, the chemistry and dialogues were perfect
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Thanks to Penélope Janu and Escape Publishing for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion I really enjoyed reading it and I look forward to more books by her

Fun, quick and light-hearted read. I only had a harder time connecting with the characters and the story. Was able to finish it in a day it did hold my attention it just wasn't that memorable.

On The Same Page has a great premise and a ton of really cute moments sprinkled throughout, however I didn't love the author's writing style. It felt a bit dated, or perhaps for a slightly older audience. Overall though, this was a cute and quick read.

This was kind of a confusing read. It was a fun premise, and the main character is likeable for quite a lot of the story, but at some point it just begins to drag, the main character begins to seem unreasonable and that she won’t change for the better as it is obvious to the reader she needs to do. I can understand why she would be upset about her income being cut, that is me of the few reasonable complaints she has about her situation. It also seemed a little strange to me that the publishing company wouldn’t consider the idea that Emma would want to stay anonymous.
Miles and Lars’ relationship was odd and the pacing felt off. I really did not appreciate Lars ending his engagement because of “love at first site”. I don’t believe that exists and the author letting that be a valid reason (as Lars is described as extremely ethical several times throughout the book) to end his previous relationship was disappointing and just plain icky.
The ending was muddled and not at all moving as you would expect. It was confusing.
Overall the book would have been enjoyable, as the writing was very readable, but it was too long and ended on a sour note with Lars’ admission regarding his previous relationship.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

DNF @ 30%

Not for me! Miles was annoying and Lars was as interesting as a rock. The scenes were also super jumpy and not very cohesive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for the eARC of this book.

Only SLIGHT Spoilers

I’m not quite sure where to start with this one. I can’t really find the right words for how I felt about this book. (If this is slightly incoherent, that’s why.) But, I can tell you that I adored it. The literary references, the Elizabeth and Darcy-esque relationship, the writing, the friendships, the love. This book was everything I could have wanted in a contemporary.

The main premise of the story is Miles is secretly a romance novelist named Emma Browning and after her PA forges her signature and enters her into a prestigious contest, a contest she wins, she is forced into a contract with the publishing contract Iconic. She doesn’t want her identity revealed but it’s much harder to hide it when the topic of Emma Browning’s identity is pushed by the people working at Iconic and her contractual obligations require Emma to exist. The topic is pushed most by Iconic’s CEO, Lars.

Miles is inspiring. She came from a family where her parents were big names in the literary world, and she was named after a big name in the literary world. Her passion lies in romance novels, which her parents often degrade because they believe romance novels to be awful and not real literature. She is stubborn and uncompromising when it comes to her life and what she wants. But, she’s also emotional and struggles with mental illness. She’s real, and that’s SO important to show in books. She chooses her own path, chooses her own achievements. She chooses herself in the end.

One thing I did find frustrating about Miles was the fact that her stubbornness made her act poorly when her contractual obligations to Iconic started. She dodged calls and meetings and visits with Iconic’s team. She acted poorly and did unprofessional things in an attempt to prevent her identity from being revealed. She crossed lines and pushed boundaries and overall her actions were bad and ridiculous. She also had a tendency to let people walk all over her. Most of the people around her were rude to her a multitude of times, some of them all the time. It wasn’t until the last hundred pages that I felt like she really grew a spine and stood up for herself.

Lars and Miles’ love-hate relationship is absolutely fantastic and the whole time I was reading, what made me love it more, was the similarities to Elizabeth and Darcy. Penelope Janu was brilliant in doing that because you can tell it’s intentional by the regular references to Jane Austen and her novels, but also just the language and the dialogue.

The literary references and the regular callbacks to classic literature were amazing. Seeing an author acknowledge the greatness of other literature, in their own book, is something that I rarely see, but I love when it happens. Reading references to Jane Austen, Shakespeare, John Steinbeck, and other great authors was so satisfying. You could tell how much reading and books had shaped Miles’ life.

The writing is fantastic, the small snippets of “Emma’s” writing are brilliant, the way the love story was built out was great… there’s not much else I can say. This book has made it into the category of “would read multiple times again”. It was witty and humorous and I loved the characters. The emotion was real and the characters' struggles were real, though sometimes a bit ridiculous. (In a good way.) Miles did act a bit like a fool for… most of the book- but I can see the heart and reasoning behind it so it didn’t bother me much.
Absolutely recommend this book!

If you haven’t laid hands on the book yet, here’s your clue to stop reading. This review has spoilers.
This book is my ultimate fantasy, and no, gross, take your mind off the gutter or don’t, because the book is spicy in all its glory. Miles is a strong empowered woman, and despite her characters being the pillars of the strength (or so she keeps telling herself), she’s enigmatic, for real. She is a woman I look up to. Despite what her parents or society or anyone thinks, Miles is a force to be reckoned with. She’s ferocious, feisty, and fervent, all my favorite F words (I’m only half kidding at this point).
Miles and Lars’ chemistry is off the charts, even with minimal interaction. From the moment where he finds her drunk and eyes her in a particular way, to when he (properly) kisses her thumb, Lars is the perfect book boyfriend you want to dream scenarios about. And his love confession? OH. MY. GOD. I mean, the guy would give Fitzwilliam Darcy a run for his money, and I never joke about Pride and Prejudice. His growl (or at least the one I imagined) when he realizes Miles is broke, lord bless the readers. His protectiveness and possessiveness both have me shipping them for eternity (and they aren’t even real).
The characters are made for each other. I mean, they’re both feisty and I don’t know a better couple than who can challenge each other and yet have each other’s back, always.
I love Jack and Pippy and had Jack not been gay, I’d probably even ship them. Ah well, had he not been gay, he would’ve dated Miles, so there’s that. But even though everyone’s opinions may differ on the story, it was one of the best reads I’ve come across. It gives most of my best reads a run for their money. I just can’t wait until I find a paperback for the book!
P.S.: If you’ve read till here, go get the book and start reading/re-reading NOW!

I unfortunately DNFed this at 40%. The writing was poor and the Miles was extremely unlikeable - disappointing as the premise had promise.

This wasn't my thing. The conversations felt rushed and forced. The romance felt forced too and the story line itself lacked a spark. I think I am simply not the type of reader to enjoy this, but I will say it's a fast read if you'd like to try it out.

This is a page turner and very easy and quick read. You will absolutely love Miles. This is a laugh out loud story. I think because I’m a writer, anything related to that gets my attention immediately. It was so well written. I love love love the setting in this book.

The premise of this book is fun and has a lot of potential. It sets up the perfect farce that we watch unravel. In general there was a lot that I did like about this, Miles was an atypical heroine. She had an unusual blushing disorder, I think also chronic migraines, and was very socially awkward. I loved her friend Jake and their extreme dedication to writing authentic sex scenes.

However, I had a lot of trouble following the writing. I had to reread several portions of the book to try and piece together bits of information that were dropped without context. While I enjoyed the humor I thought that it actually detracted from the storyline and muddled the direction of several scenes.