The pacing for me was very off in this book. I’m a huge fan of the romcom genre and usually that requires a rather quick turn around for characters to fall in love. But in this story I have no idea the time frame for everything that happened. Darby isn’t even divorced before she is moving on with another guy. She goes from what she thinks is a very happy marriage at the beginning to a completely different man by the end and it just felt too quick.

This book moves very fast. Darby isn’t even officially divorced and her divorce attorney is telling her “I think I could love you.” It’s all very sudden and it feels like it comes out of left field. He makes eyes at her and chastely kisses her on the cheek, and yes that’s a way of showing the reader he is interested. I just needed a little more between sweet good bye kisses and “hey, let’s be together”. Once again, I really wish I knew the time frame this book happened in. Was it six months? Was it a year? It feels like it all happens in a few weeks and that timeline just doesn’t seem feasible for me.

This book has a lot of the chemistry building between the characters happening off screen. There are only a handful of times these two are together up to the point where they are on the beach, but he’s making sweeping declarations of love and preparing to throw his entire career away on a woman he has only known for a really short time. I want to see and feel the love between the characters growing. In this instance I felt like the author was telling me what to believe with the characters instead of showing me how they felt for one another.

As I stated before the pacing and timing for this book just doesn’t work. The way this book feels is that it takes place within a few weeks. There’s not a definite calendar to help guide things but there’s an “a few days later” or “my friends will be gone by Monday” to help sort things out but I could never tell when anything was happening and to me that made it feel more rushed and I wasn’t fully convinced that Darby and Holt ever had enough time to develop true feelings for each other.

I would have liked more of an introduction to The Dreamgirls. They all just storm in to help Darby sort out her life but it feels like they come out of nowhere and they leave again just as abrupt. They don’t have their own backgrounds that are really fleshed out. It felt like they were just there to add a convenient layer to the plot so Darby doesn’t look completely pathetic when she gets dumped on national television. These friends couldn’t even be called one dimensional because there isn’t enough character work for even that.

Up until the 35% mark I felt like this book leaned more towards womens fiction versus romance. I thought that perhaps it would lean more into the “I’m happy and successful on my own and I don’t need a man to complete me” genre. It wasn’t until the book hit the 63% mark that I saw this book was going to put Cupid’s eyes for Holt and Darby. That’s just too late in the game for a couple I’m supposed to believe have fallen in love by the end of the book. I need more time for the love story to properly marinate. I want to blush and swoon with my heroine but I didn’t get that from this book.

This book definitely had me feeling for Darby at the beginning. She was incredibly mistreated by the media and he ex and I pray no one ever has to actually go through such a humiliating situation. That being said: the premise of the story seemed great, the execution however needed some work. I want a better paced story and more time to fall in love with a tall and Southern gentleman.

This book was alright. I thought Darby, the main character, was a bit annoying and I found the storyline a little stretched in terms of believability. I lost interest about a third of the way through when Darby was entering her custody battle for the kids and there wasn't much to keep me engaged after that. I thought it had the potential to be a good book but there needed to be more at the beginning to build up certain parts of the storyline.

15 Minutes of Shame was a cute story with lots of emotion built in. I think I would have categorized it as a women’s fiction novel instead of romcom, since more of the story was related to her divorce proceedings than their relationship. The relationship between Darby and Holt seemed to come on as a result of time spent together off-page - so it was a little surprising and could have had more show Vs. tell.
I loved the cover and this was a great premise, Thank you to NetGalley and Siesta Key House for the advanced reader copy.

This book was a quick and entertaining read but I wouldn’t say it’s main thing is romance to be honest.

It follows the h who got royally screwed over so much and it just followed her life after it coming to shit.

I just came into it thinking it was a romance book but really the romance portion didn’t really happen until like after 50% of the book and her love interest definitely was not a main character as he was pretty much surface level (*but there is a pov of the guy so maybe that redeems his surface levelness)

But honestly I didn’t mind it was really satisfying her becoming independent, exploring her career and having healthy relationships in her life (e.g. the children: I liked how she didn’t abandon them completely and shifted to a more aunt role, cause even though she wasn’t the biological mother she was practically their sole parental figure in the childrens life) and just making her life better as a whole.

But yeah if you’re looking for a quick, satisfying (sometimes frustrating) read th at has some romance in it, this is a great book to read.

Darby is a top dating expert and while she is on national tv for her book tour she finds out her husband is cheating on her and filing for divorce, she is blindsided by this information and ends up puking on tv for all of America to see. Her 15 minutes of fame is plastered over the tabloids and now she has to try and save her career as well as her marriage. The title and blurb sounded very interesting to me however, I really struggled to get through this book, and I ended up DNF'ing at 60%. The first 30% I wanted to DNF already but the reviews I read said it gets better after that, I cant necessarily agree with that statement though. The pacing was all over the place, some moments it felt so dragged out where as others it moved so fast I feel like I missed important information. This part may just be not being the target audience since I am a 20 year old trans masc person, but I also felt as though I was reading a book out of the early 2000's or at least written by someone who was in their late teens early 20's during the 2000's (internalized misogyny, fat-phobia and casual whorephobia come to mind). There was a lot of little things that made the book feel dated and just not my taste, the story had potential but the actual book is just not my taste.

This book was such a breath of fresh air! I loved so much about it, it was quick and perfectly funny! I loved a lot of the comparisons made and how many little inside bookish Jokes there were.

This book had a promising premise, but was lacking in execution. Darby wrote a book on love and relationships, but her authority gets questioned when her husband leaves her on live television.

Honestly, reading this book was exhausting. There's a lot of nonstop internal monologuing and everything is described. I also had a hard time with pacing of the book. Darby wasn't my favorite character either -- she's always talking in her head and I didn't find her to be particularly likable. Now, you don't always have to like your main character, but it is a plus in a rom com. I tried my best, even picking up the book and putting it down a few times, but really could not get through it and DNF'd.

The book could totally turn around in the second half and I did appreciate Darby's sensitivity and caring of her step-kids. It also seemed like the author was building up a friend network to support her, which I do always enjoy reading. But, I just didn't get there.

Thank you Net Galley for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

She is happily married for three years with her husband and his two kids from his previous marriage when she suddenly she gets dumped on national TV . She did not expected it and she is trying to reestablish her carrer and life . Her publisher advice her go out on act like everything is okay . Her lawyer is a very charming and sweet man who is helping her but the sparks between them are flying . What will happen when her ex asks her to forgive him ? What will she do ? I loved that she loved hers husband kids like they were hers .
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book is nothing like I thought it would be and I'm not sure if that's good or bad. A major premise of the book, that the lead character Darby is fighting for custody of her stepchildren. If I knew this going in, I never would have read it. By the time the plot was laid out, I just wanted to see where it was headed. It's not a bad book, but wasn't for me.

I was surprised at this book. I thought it was going to be more ROM_COM but it read more like a woman's fiction. I enjoyed it. Of course, some of it was predictable, but I don't read this type of book to be shocked. It was a quick fun read, perfect for some light summer reading.

I enjoyed this book, and would definitely be interested in reading other books by the author. I thought that the story was paced well, however I found it difficult at times to root for Darby through her custody ideas.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of 15 Minutes of Shame in exchange for an honest review.

“And sometimes, letting your heart lead the way can be the smartest decision you ever make.” ✨

This is a fast paced rom-com that I really enjoyed! It was very amusing and I thought the MC, Darby, was well developed. The beginning of the book seemed chaotic with so many things going on, but I soon realized that this was the perfect set up for the overall story. I really liked the addition of Darby’s friends & the MC 🥵 who doesn’t love a hot attorney?!

I thought the dating advice & rules that followed each chapter were a nice addition and played into the story well.

Definitely check this out if you get the chance!

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review
15 Minutes of Shame was a entertaining read it was a cute read I want to read more from this author 4 star read


Happy Reading
Lisa 📚

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Fair warning, this book is more like woman's fiction than a rom-com. The story follows Darby Vaugh aka female lead who is a relationship expert & writer. It mainly follows to coming to realization of her husband's infidelity, her public break-up and aftermath of it. The plotline contains Darby's view as she adjusts to new reality, coming to terms the divorce and losing the life the she knew and building a new one for herself along with side characters Holt aka Divorce Attorney, some little kids and group of best friends.

I was looking forward to read Darby's journey & portrait of how it feels when the doubts of infidelity rises but I struggled to keep up with the story. The storyline feels flat, there seems to be very little chemistry between Darcy & Holt; one minute there is nothing and suddenly there is all love-sappy confessions. The groveling at the end from cheating husband and the constant mention of how Darcy's constant mentions of the kids being takes away from her sets the mood off.
This could have a been a great character-build & arc if they used the to empower the charactering regarding she's a mother or not, regarding she has a successful career; that Humans make mistakes and learn & rise again. But Darcy's character ends up coming off as whining and hot mess(Not the good kind of hot mess).

Although there are some moments of laughter and sadness that are totally relatable, this was an average read for me.

A drama since the first word. I was captivated right from the start - I do wish the description had fewer details, I wasn't surprised by some of the major events because they were noted in the description. Darby was strong and bounced back - she was able to make it through one of the most cringe moments I've ever read.

I was a little surprised by the other MC, that was missing from the description. The relationship between Darby and Holt developed a deep relationship. I appreciate the depth and detail put into their development.

A great story with a vindication end and a clear bad person

I'm 23% into this book, and so far it's just been a long sob story about the main character's marriage falling apart. Romance readers want to read about people falling in love. This book so far is literally the opposite of that. This is not a rom com. It's women's fiction, and not even a little bit funny. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Another new author to me, Lisa Daily has managed to craft a fast-paced yet still slow-burn contemporary romance. Darby seemingly has it all. Successful career, the perfect husband, and two adorable stepchildren. When she discovers that her husband is actually having an affair, live on TV, she almost loses it all.

I was simultaneously cringing and screaming at the pages at times, the drama felt so tangible in its absurdity. And I have to say, Darby is a better person than I am for how she ultimately deals with the other woman. I really loved Holt's intensity and sincerity, but if I have one frustration, it's that he didn't really figure at all in the first third of the story, and even by halfway he was only *just* becoming a central part of the story. As such, I felt like we could have had another encounter between them before we got to the confession, as it felt a bit sudden. That said, I loved them together, and I will definitely read more of this author's work.

Overall Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥1/2
Emotional Rating: 🤬💔🥰🥰💓💓

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

Favourite Quote

' “Having it all” is a big load of crap, at least for the mom. You can’t really have it all, can you? When children are in the picture, somebody has to make sure they come before everything else. And that person is almost always the mom. '

I HAVE ALSO SUBMITTED THIS REVIEW TO AMAZON UK, BUT AM AWAITING MODERATION.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I’m struggling to articulate my thoughts on this book! I was invested in Darby’s story - watching her navigate her relationship breakdown in the public eye. But I also thought the page time in this book was invested in the wrong places.

I wanted to know more about her dating advice, her show, and the budding romance with the lawyer (which felt a little undercooked). I think some of the long outfit descriptions and internal monologuing could have been shorted to amp up the day to day action in Darby’s life.

I also thought that for a dating guru Darby felt a little unsure of it all? Or maybe it was that she felt younger than 31 to me.

I loved the commitment and dedication to the kids throughout, that was really special.

In short: I found stretches difficult to read when they weren’t giving me “action” over “thoughts”, but I didn’t have a bad time! I think some readers will really connect with Darby - I might have been too old to get into the mindset!

Darby is the expert when it comes to relationships and what you should and shouldn’t put up with. She has her own column and goes on book tours to speak to sold out crowds. Life is perfect until her husband Will of three years announces that he and his ex wife, former beauty queen of Arkansas are getting back together again and Darby finds this out live on the air during her Today show interview. What happens after that is Darby putting her career and her life back together with a little help from her friends. A feel good read!

Darby is a dating expert going through a public and humiliating divorce. In order to save face and save her career she has to make some difficult decisions. Her ex has two children from a previous marriage and Darby is mourning the loss of her step-children as she was their primary caregiver for most of their lives.

Darby was sassy and funny. There was some humorous moments in the book. And I was glad that the situation with the children turned out as it did. I would have been disappointed had Darby gone in a different direction.

I thought the book was fun and really took a good look at some deeper attachment issues. I liked Holt the divorce attorney, but felt like his affections towards Darby moved a little too quickly. He went from taking her to dinner to professing his love. And the bedroom scene at the end of the book (seriously, it was around 94% of the way through!) felt a little gratuitous and unnecessary. I'm not against open door romance, but this just didn't seem to flow with the pace of the rest of the book.

Also - I guess this was a "reprint" of an earlier edition?? It wasn't mentioned in the book that I saw, and I'm not are if any changes were made between the first print and the reprint.... but just something to note.

Overall, not one that I would reread, but one that I'm glad I read this time. I did think it was a fun little Easter egg to find a small suburban newspaper mentioned in the book.... and it's MY suburban newspaper ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and Siesta Key House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.