The cover needs a little work, I think, but the storyline was a good one. Definitely a quick and easy read.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

2.5 ⭐️ // At the beginning, the book was very comforting for me. I grew up in smaller churches, so the start felt like home.

However, I have some deal breakers when it comes to books, and any form of cheating is a no-go for me. Also, the book brought up my negative feelings towards mega churches, mainly around wealth and congregation numbers. Additionally, the two main females, Makayla and Regina, were unlikable in my opinion, but I did like Travis, Daisy, and Porsha.

If you can get passed the church cattiness and the cheating, the story was good! I do think the author is a good writer, but unfortunately, the book was not for me.

Read this book if …
💼You like the workplace romance trope
🗡You like the enemies to lovers trope
⛪️You relate to pastors’ kids
💕You enjoy the second chance romance trope
🗝You believe trust is key to a relationship

TW: infidelity, parental death

Thank you, NetGalley and Webster Avenue Publishing, for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An enemies to lovers story like no other. It’s no doubt from the very beginning that Travis and Makayla are absolutely meant for each other but life and love isn’t always that simple.

Thompson fantastically dives into the complications of being a successful, independent, black woman, searching for love after betrayal, mending a broken heart and deciding whether rebuilding old, burnt bridges is worth the work. You’ll be pulled in immediately and won’t be able to stop until you know Makayla and Travis’ fate.

I loved every second of this book. With only one true scene of love making, I was kept on the edge of my seat, yelling at our protagonists to just say what they need to say already (and to smash already)!! Black love at its finest. 10 out of 10, highly recommend. Can’t wait to see more from this author.

Working Through it by Kasha Thompson was an interesting and at times unexpected read. I enjoyed that while the backdrop of the book was a mega church, both of the main characters, Makayla and Travis were flawed, in very human ways. The book was fast paced, included strong female characters and demonstrates that people can change and for the better over time.

TW: death of a parent, infidelity

Thank you to NetGalley, Webster Avenue Publishing and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I think it was a cute book, with an interesting plot story. Sometimes the characters were a little cliche but I don't think that was a bad thing within the romance genre since there is something comfortable about troupes and character cliches.

Woww!! I really enjoyed this one. The backdrop being a mega church was a daring choice but it worked and at no point did the book feel preachy.
I really enjoyed the nuanced way the characters were written. Both Makayla and Travis were flawed but they were also both determined to be better.
The writing was so good that I was conflicted because while I was ultimately hoping for Travis and Makayla to make their way back to each other, I was also very sympathetic to Regina and how she just got caught in between two people figuring their mess out, working through it.
I would love another installment to see how Travis and Makayla navigate marriage.

I enjoyed this story and the juxtaposition of romance and religion. I honestly didn't know how I would feel about the story when I read that some of it taking place in a church but honestly, it didn't disrupt the storyline as much as it possibly could have as I'm a person who can be fickle about religion in books. The characters were relatable and the re-connection between the main characters was a well-paced build up. I did wish there was a clearer notation of when the perspectives changed but I was able to catch on to the author's style and indication fairly quickly!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this ARC!

This book was ok. It just didn't grip me enough with the plot or the characters. I am also not a huge fan on infidelity especially in a romance novel in a church so that definitely played in to this rating. This is definitely a grown folks romance, in order to fully understand the depth of the of their relationship.

Please check the TW for this book before you read!

Thank you again!

Another ARC successfully completed :)

I know that the books on NetGalley go through some edits so what I read here isn’t necessarily what’s being sold on the shelves, but it’s hard to believe they cut anything out of this book! I felt like all the details were needed; everything just flowed and I loved it.

My favorite part was finding out Travis had a daughter. Being able to understand the animosity that Makayla had towards him allowed me to better understand her feelings about their relationship. Initially, I was thinking she held cheating to a very high standard but cheating is a different story when a baby is produced.

Starting at chapter 28 I think I cried for a good 10 mins lol. It was such a tragic accident and it reminded me of my own grandmother’s passing. When a book can make you feel the emotion as you read it….5 star in my book. I also felt that Travis’s mother’s death couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Regina wasn’t speaking with him and he was going back and forth with wedding details, to me allowed him the space he needed to end the “relationship”. I didn’t really care for Rufus (lol) for Makayla. He was truly a rebound and was able to stick around longer than the others because of his persistence.

Although I did not care for Regina either, I can understand how she felt when she decided to end her relationship with Travis. Those are hard words and conversations to have with someone you are supposed to marry. If I ever come across a man that gives me a hard time about setting details about OUR wedding…I’m running the other way. Period.

The icing on the cake was when Travis wooed Makayla. The flowers and that whole scene had me smiling from ear to ear. I’m glad they were able to work through things and find their way back to each other. Beautiful story.

I enjoy a fast paced romance but this really rushed in some spots. Overall I did enjoy the love story between Travis and Makayla.

I really enjoyed this book. Ex-lovers who can’t stand each other are stuck together in a situation! A funny and cute story!!! A reminder that no matter how good .. all relationships need work, honesty, accountability and lots of love and care!!
**
Thank you to Kasha Thompson, @netgalley and Webster Avenue Publishing for an Advance Reader Copy.
**

Firstly I'd just love to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this novel, now let's get to the actual reviewing:

3.5/5 stars

Firstly YES to black romance.
Secondly YES to a strong (albeit stubborn and rude sometimes) female lead.

In Working Through It,  we follow Travis and Makayla in their second chance romance. Travis and Makayla have broken up after a six-year romance, and they don't even pretend to like each other. It was an instant 'no' when both were offered advancements at their jobs to work together, until it wasn't. We see how Travis and Makayla deal with lingering sentiments and situations that aren't 'water under the bridge' now that Travis is set to get married and Makayla has finally decided to get back into the dating scene.

Now onto the characters, I love how they portrayed Makayla as this strong female even though sometimes she really was being difficult, nonetheless I respected that she admitted that sometimes she wanted someone to be strong FOR her, and genuinely I think that's a narrative that so many females (black females especially) are faced with.

Travis, man can he dish it. He doesn't let Makayla intimidate nor scare him off, and he makes sure to always have a comeback for her. I respect his growth from thinking he was the 'good guy' to realizing that he's human and he made mistakes. Mistakes that hurt others and that will have consequences. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially when one is heavily involved in the church.

But just a small suggestion, limit yourself to only describing details that will only drive the plot forward.

The book was fast paced and loveable for the most part but some areas felt a bit rushed, but all in all it was a lovely read!


P.S: Can we just talk about how Pastor Randolph described Travis and Makayla as the spear and the shield. I think I audibly gasped. "You two balance each other" *screams* so cute.

Miss Kasha, I really enjoyed this book!

At the start of the book I didn't like Makayla , but then the more I read the more I dislike Travis. I don't like books with cheating so did not finish.

I had no idea I needed a church romance so much - this was a delight to read, the drama had me unable to put this book down. I finished it within a day.

I have to say the cheating trope is not one I like but I suffered through that because I loved Makayla and Travis so much. I have to say again I am not a fan of the cheating trope especially two times over cheating. I had a hard time reconciling that part of the story however I did believe that Travis and Makayla should be together.

I did appreciate the realness of Travis, he wasn't completely blameless in his actions and he wasn't perfect in this situation at all.

I felt like the situation was super realistic. I loved that this was a church romance that is not portrayed in this way often. I just loved it despite not being a trope I love

They were a couple for six years and now after five years they are forced to work together as a team in the Church they work . He is engaged and she just started dating a nice guy . In the beginning all they do is fight but while time passes they see that there are still feelings between them . Will they give themselves a second chance ?
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank.you netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

2.5 stars
As much I wanted to love or like book, sadly I didn't feel it that way.

Being engaged to someone else for more than 50% of the book, I didn't feel or connect with the hero. The romance lacked chemistry & spark.

Much to my regret this book wasn't for me.

Thank You NetGalley for the opportunity of reading an ARC of this novel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5) / 🫑 (mild spice scenes)

TW/ CW: infidelity, death of a parent

Do You Like Reading: black romance, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity

If so, then this is a book FOR YOU!!!!!

Working Through It is a second chance romance where we follow Travis and Makayla. After a six year relationship Travis and Makayla have broken up and it is far from pretty. With neither one being able to tolerate the other, both are offered promotions at their job to work together. With Travis being newly engaged and possibly getting cold feet, and Makayla getting back into the dating scene to find her perfect guy, working together is the last thing either of them wants to do. But what happens when a little forced proximity and a tiny office brings old feelings back to the former lovers.

Working Through It was actually a cute read. I enjoyed reading how even though Makayla and Travis are polar opposites, their love for each other and dynamic personalities balance each other out in the best way. The side characters were also a breath of fresh and comedy that contributed to the story well. My only take is that some parts of the story line seem to be a bit rush and thrown together. They came out of nowhere and weren't explained enough for my liking. But all in all I really did enjoy this book and following the journey of Travis and Makayla.

For the characters, I love that Kasha showed the dynamic of a lot of men thinking that they're the "good guy" and ultimately coming to terms and realizing the wrongs they may have done in significant relationships to the women they loved. Travis' journey to truly come to terms and atone his faults in his relationship was a great journey to see. Makayla had me a little heated in the beginning but after we get to the climax and we see her journey of trying to love again after the break-up with Travis, Makayla became such an amazing and complex woman in eyes. She was determined to not let her past relationships define how she viewed love and continued to stay true to herself and her standards despite everyone around her telling her to soften herself and compromise for a man. Also I love that these characters were graduates of an HBCU. As an HBCU grad myself, it was great to black love being represented through the very institutions made for black people to strive.

Kasha Thompson this was all in all a GREAT story and I can't wait to read more from you!!!!