This book was not what I expected, in a wonderful way. When I saw the cover and read the plot summary, I thought this would be one of those clichéd billionaire romances where they have an animal attraction at first sight and go on a bunch of wild adventures only the 1% can afford. But it was not that at all. It was both unconventional and (fairly) realistic in its own way, and I laughed at almost every page. I loved when the jokes caught me by total surprise, which was often. (The merch! You'll get it when you get there!) And ok, there were a few overly corny moments, but that's what a lot of other people want in a RomCom, so I'll take it. I guess by almost not giving this book a chance in the first place I proved the lesson of the book itself: that we are more than first impressions.

This was a first time read for me by this author and it definitely won't be my last. I found it to be an absolutely delightful and cute story. It was an insta-love story with a fun and entertaining storyline and was a quick read. The story caught my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through. I enjoyed the writing style, it kept me interested and engaged and I had a lot of fun reading this book. The storyline flowed nicely and the romance was wonderful and there were plenty of humorous moments that had me laughing out loud or just generally left me with a smile on my face. I totally got caught up in Clara and Ian's story. This was a fun and easy read. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the witty banter between Clara and Ian. A fun flirty romantic comedy that I am happy to have had the opportunity to read!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Fall fast and hard after an initial wrong footing, then slow burn your way to the end of the book! I liked this more than expected and was really charmed by the end and attached to the characters. I’m not sure the cover covers how good the book is, or rather, how not sugary sweet it is! I was pleased by the uncommon messages of sex positivity and sex work. This will be author I look for in the future.

Such an appealing premise - a pretty and intelligent PhD candidate who does not want to be loved for her looks and a rich and smart heir-apparent who does not want to be loved for his money meet in unlikely circumstances.

Enter Clara and Ian, each recovering from recent breakups, who are suddenly thrown together in a car and embark on a fast paced romantic adventure. There is laugh out loud humor, family drama, pouring out of souls, and just enough spice. The main characters’ backstories were superb and really helped us understand where they were coming from. Although their spark was clearly palpable, the story would have benefitted from a bit more development of their relationship to make their connection more believable. Overall, a quick and fun read that really makes you question those common stereotypes we are all used to.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Rhapsodic press for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

It's been a long time since a book has surprised me by making me spontaneously laugh out loud, but Words on Candy Hearts by Augusta Reilly did just that. And not just one time either. I found myself laughing and chuckling my way through this fun and quirky romance.
The dialogue is witty and quick, and the fact that almost the entire book takes place over a period of a day, and in a variety of vehicles no less, makes the skill with which Reilly presents the transition from the two main characters hating each other to falling in love even more remarkable. The back and forth point of view from Clara to Ian provides plenty of humour and keeps the story moving along quickly, and keeps the reader eagerly turning the pages.

An unusual romance story. Heroine mistakes the hero car for her own and passes out drunk after spending an evening with her mother at the bar. Heroine's mother has been brainwashing daughter to believe that no man would want her because she is blonde busty and beautiful and she actually has brains..... WHATEVER. Hero finds heroine in his car ..... passed out and ends up sleeping fitfully in the passenger set of the car until morning.
Thru a series of mishaps.....I'll let you read to find out.
Both Hero and Heroine have a lot to learn and misconceptions and mayhem bring them closer, This was a 3 1/2 star read being that I felt the ending of the book was kind of abrupt.

I was provided this book by netgalley for an open and honest review.

Words on Candy Hearts
by Augusta Reilly
Thank you to GetRed PR Books and the publisher for including me on the book tour for Words on Candy Hearts and the advanced reading copy of the book.
This was an ok book. Just not realistic, all this in 14 hours. I just didn't find it as a book to be commended as a rom-com.

This book was laugh out loud funny and so worth the read. Clara and Ian are both out with parents following their respective breakups, they end up meeting after Clara drunkenly mistakes his car for hers and passes out in it. The plot takes place over a 14 hour period so it's fairly fast-paced but still a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This 4 star romcom will have you rolling & spitting out your drinks wherever you are! Reilly has given us unforgettable, heart capturing characters in Ian & Clara, put them into a laugh-out-loud story line of mistaken identity. It was a refreshing read and one you don’t want to miss! Grab this one up as it’s now available!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very entertaining read and I’m looking forward to more books from this author.

Unfortunately there was a lot I didn't like about this book. In the first few chapters there were a lot of repeats between the two MC point of views, like they always knew what the other was thinking/feeling, and it just wasn't believable. The story went on a lot about how much men just like women for their looks, and sayings like "boys will be boys" were used. The stereotyping was really strong and a lot of things were overlooked in my opinion. In addition the love story just wasn't believable. Everything moved too fast and had the couple "falling in love" in the span of less then 24hrs. Just didn't do it for me.

This was so much fun! I was worried at the beginning because the trope enemies to lovers is very hit and miss with me. But this had me laughing out loud, enjoying every page. The story takes place in one day. There was depth, backstory, and characters you are going to love.

Clara and Ian meet when she drunkenly mistakes his car for hers. Ian assumes she is a prostitute, and that's just the first of the many understandings they have over the course of a day when they're stuck on a road trip together.

Clara’s mom always told her that men only wanted men wanted women as a trophy, and it was just as easy to marry a rich man as a poor man. Ian’s dad always said women are gold diggers so it made sense to just pick the best-looking one. They both have a lot of baggage from those parental gems as well as their prior relationships.

The story is a bit funny, but it goes on too long with forced humor from so many understandings. It feels like a much longer book than you need when you only take a day to fall in love.

I adored Augusta Reilly's first novel and I was very much looking forward to Words on Candy Hearts. This book had a fun premise- both Clara and Ian grew up hearing from their parents that there are two types of people in the world. When they're forced to spend the day in the car together, they decide whether that observation is true or not. While the writing was fast and fun, the jokes were not. I also do not prefer books (especially insta-love) that takes place over a 14 hour time period.

Clara, a PhD student trying to save the environment and find a reliable man at the same time, finds her mothers advice troublesome: “there’s only two types of men: rich bastards and poor bastards.” Her mother gave up on love when men would only use her for her looks and treat her bad. Clara was dumped two weeks before her wedding because of 15 extra pounds, and now she’s ready to give up on finding someone who loves her for herself and not just her looks.

Ian, the heir to a billionaire that he can’t get along with, was dumped a fourth time by another gold digger and broke his heart. His dad gave him some advice: “there’s only two types of women: pretty bitches and ugly bitches.” Ian’s dad says no one will ever love him, they only want his money, so go for looks while you can.

Over the course of 24 hours, Clara and Ian are thrown together by a drunken accident and need to decide if their parents are right, or if there really is a thing as true love out there.

My thoughts:

This story had me laughing out loud so often. My only drawback is the instalove. I am not a fan of that trope. I did like watching their story unfold and see all the back and forth between the characters though. Each character was thought out and developed. Humorous and enjoyable.

I cannot remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book. So many laugh out loud moments. Be forewarned do not have any beverages while you read this one. I just about spit out my wine but it was well worth it !
I was sending screenshots to my friend and finally she said “Stop. I’m going to buy my own copy right now”
Words on Candy Hearts is a quick, fun read that takes place over 24 hours. The story is told from a dual POV (Clara and Ian) and the back and forth chemistry between them is hilarious. While it seems unlikely our MC's will go from mistaken identity to instant love in such a short time, Augusta totally makes it work. Highly recommend this one for your last blast of summer beach outing.

Thank you to GetRedPR and NetGalley for my complimentary eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a hilariously quick read. I laughed out loud through it. The characters were very likable and well developed and the story was entertaining.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Words on Candy Hearts!

Read this if you
📖 love a quick read
🫂 enjoy enemies to lovers
👩🏼🧔🏻 like a dual POV
🍬 crave those candy Valentine hearts

Words on Candy Hearts is a dual POV story told by Clara and Ian. Clara and Ian are having no luck in their love lives. Both reeling from broken engagements, they meet in an unexpected way. After Clara leaves her mother at the bar, the inebriated Clara can’t seem to find her car. When she wakes in the morning, she finds a man beside her. Slowly she realizes that she slept in a stranger’s car all night. This is just the beginning of a what will end up being a magical and unexpected relationship!

I absolutely loved this book. It was hilarious. I was laughing so hard during a few of the scenes that tears were rolling down my cheeks! I loved the snarky, sarcastic Clara, and Ian was so sweet and charming. I also loved how much he misinterpreted because of his hearing problem. I wasn’t a big fan of how much a few words were thrown around (wh*re and b00bs for example) but I loved that the entire story took place in just over a day. While it may not be the most realistic romcom, it was fiction, and it is certainly worth the read!

This book was sweet, delightful and an entertaining read. What's more, this entire story takes place within a day and still nothing felt rushed or out of the place. It was all flowing smoothly with a normal pace that I enjoyed reading.

Clara and Ian have been taught some specific things related to the opposite gender by their parent however both of them are looking for more. Their disastrous road trip will be a fun journey you wouldn't want to miss.

There were so many places with quick with and banter where It had me laughing out loud and cherry on the cake was dual POV. It had good side characters, all the development and plot was nice and will have you turning pages quickly just a tad bit unrealistic is what I felt. With all the humor this also had some serious topics and moments which were done well with so much emotion.

Overall without saying much because it took place over a day, I would recommend this to everyone when you need to laugh. So sit back and enjoy this.

This book was such an absolute joy to read! I laughed out loud, more times than I can count! The dynamic between the two main characters , was so endearing!
The book is told between both characters POV, and the events through the book are through out a 24 hour period, which I found very unique, and intriguing! It makes for a super quick, an easy read!
I would suggest this book to anyone who finds themselves in a reading slump they just can’t seem to pull out of! I believe this book would do the trick, for sure! I can’t wait to check out more from this author an see what else she has to offer! I definitely love her style of writing!

Thank you NetGalley and Rhapsodic Press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!