This book should be given a trigger warning right off the back ... Serious Anxiety
The main character sufferers big time from anxiety so much so she traps herself in a gym for days because she can't face walking out the door. Also this is NOT a Romantic Comedy book at all!!

I tried really hard to get into this book ... waiting for the romance to come and pleading for this girl to love herself and get help with her anxiety.

The writing of this author has some pretty good style somewhat but this should not be classified as a romance or comedy book at all .

Kat Noad has decided that today is the day of change. She goes to the gym to workout. But as she's working out her boss calls her and fires her. Then her boyfriend calls her and breaks up with her. Anxiety hits and she stays in the gym.

I didn't really enjoy this book. The writing was good but I didn't like the character, she's whiney and annoying. Anxiety and depression can make a person hard to be around. This is definitely not a romance book more women's fiction.

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Just as Kat is about to turn her life around and get a healthy lifestyle, everything crumples around her. First she loses her job and then her relationship, and finally her anxiety flares up and makes her unable to leave the gym. And that after having been avoiding that place for her entire life. As she faces the fact that her anxiety will not let her leave the luxurious and fully equipped hotspot, Kat has to figure out how she got into the situation and how to get out of it.


This book surprised me as I expected a cute rom-com featuring a good-looking gym trainer and got a book about an anxiety induced protagonist, who is in the middle of an existential crisis. And as much as I believe anxiety and other mental illnesses to be an important topic of conversation, I feel like the cover is a bit misleading. But I can only blame myself, since there is the saying about never judging a book by its cover. But let's start by saying that this book made me feel anxious myself. It was rather painful to be stuck in Kat's mind and see her desperately seek for affection by believing that everyone in the gym was her friend, although they were literally just doing their job. I couldn't help but cringe every time she talked to anyone. I would have loved if this book had commented on what in my opinion was the actual plot: Kat's anxiety fantasy world. Everyone around her, including her family, her ex-boyfriend and her 'friends' were super toxic and behaved highly unrealistic. Kat let herself be judged and antagonized by everyone, even people she barely knew.
What made it worse was the ending, which didn't fit the rest of the book, it was like it suddenly turned into a rom-com, but only for the last three chapters. Really, I would have loved this book if it had commented on how delusional Kat's outlook on the world is and if she throughout the novel fought her way out of it and learned how to live with her anxiety. But this book just sadly wasn't for me.

Loved this book, it was everything I was excepting! The writing is good just like the story itself and I would for sure recomend it to a friend.

I tried so hard to love this one but I just couldn’t. The writing style is great and I was super into it for the first 10% or so but nothing was happening and the MC just kept saying more and more judgmental things and became more and more unlikeable. But it was a strong start for sure. It could be really good but it’s just needing some work still.

This book wasn't for me. I really wanted to love it but, I just couldn't get into it. I loved the concept and the idea of the plot but, the development and outline just didn't do it for me.

Kat Noad is at the gym when she gets fired and dumped in the spam of 10 minutes. She then has an anxiety attack and can't exit the gym.

I agree with other reviewers that this is definitely not "a totally laugh-out-loud and heart-warming romantic comedy" as stated on the cover. It tries to be funny while talking about a serious issue (anxiety) and it really didn'l work for me at all. I found the story sad and depressing.

The first 80% of the book is a repeat of "I'll tell someone to help me out of here - not this person" and then pool or gym, buy new clothes in the gym shop, eat at the gym restaurant and then drink (a lot) at the gym bar. This goes on for a week, but feels more like a month.

Then in the last 20% something happens and everything is magically resolved (as if anxiety can be cured with one single action). Finally, in the last two pages of the book (the epilogue) Kat is like a new person. Sorry but it was hard to believe.

I have to say that the writing style was not bad, but the story didn'd work for me.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. **

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I want to write an honest review, but I'm struggling for how to articulate this differently to the reviews already provided.

The author is insanely clever, setting the scene, building a world so clear to picture, creating complex characters and describing the situation with finesse.

This book is marketed as a rom-com, from the offset it had the makings of a brilliant set up, some key characters set up which had potential for an opposites attract (happy Lee!) I wanted to like Kat, I wanted this to be a chance for her to find something that ignited her, for her to prioritise her needs and health - addressing the anxiety attack, taking ownership of her past and embracing the options for support around her. Unfortunately, this didn't happen until the very end and by this point I had given up faith.

I think this book needs to have trigger warnings/support references promoted.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A brutally honest review is certainly what you're going to get. This review does contain spoilers because you cannot review this book without giving SOMETHING away. It's impossible.

I'm going to start this review off by saying that the author has talent when it comes to writing. There's no denying that. Formatting, excellent! Dialogue tags and conversation flow, well done! Seamless transition between events and situations, no complaints! Then why was this a generous 2 star review? Because every single thing about the actual story was problematic. Come Here Often? was not a romantic comedy, nor was it light hearted or laugh out loud funny. The entire marketing and categorization of this book is incorrect. The cover is a complete lie, because that scene doesn't even happen in the story!

Kat Noad, a party girl 30 something dental hygenist decides to try out going to the gym and all hell breaks loose. Within the first chapter, she is fired and dumped (both over the phone) and then has a crippling panic attack that sets the entire premise for the book in motion.

The way in which mental health and mental illness were addressed in this book was beyond attocious. I was livid from the jump. Kat's choices on how to deal with her mental illness are not only dangerous, they're down right deadly. She does not get the professional help she so desperately needs and insteads chooses to self medicate with alcohol. Kat is an alcoholic. Time and time again, she referrs to her mental health issues as "the big A" aka anxiety. That phrase in this book is used about 98099239 times and it's annoying every single one of them. I'm not sure if this author is unaware of what it's like to battle mental health issues or didn't consult a single person on the topic but the way in which mental health was addressed in this story did a grave disservice to the entire community in which who deals with these issues, those who work in this profession and those who love and care for those who suffer. This book did every thing wrong when it came to a character in desperate need of intervention, therapy and medication. The fact that the author chose to have the character weigh the consequences between calling 911 to receive medical help or get arrested and go to jail blew my mind.

The entire story was laughable, not because it was funny but because it was so ridiculous. The gym was more like the Mall of America. A full restaraunt, an alcoholic bar, a boutique where you can buy work out apparel and full outfits (including underwear), nail salon, hair salon, etc. I've never in my life heard of ANY of these things being offered at a fitness gym. No wonder Kat didn't want to leave... she truly didn't need to!

Page after page, chapter after chapter, Come Here Often? just got more and more absurd. I kept waiting for Kat to reach out for help. I kept waiting for her to get her act together. I waited for ANYTHING to happen, and it never did. The same mistakes were repeated over and over. Kat's behavior got worse and worse. Her lies more ludacris and unbelievable. But did I put this book down? No, because it was a car crash I couldn't look away from. I had to see how it all ended. The finale of the story just might have been the most logical thing that Kat did in 300 pages! How she manages to overcome her debilitating panic and get out of the doors of the gym was commendable. How she finally put someone before herself was appreciated and showed a tad bit of growth for her character. Everything that happened after that scene was right back to unreasonable.

There was zero romance in this book. None. A kiss didn't even happen until the last few pages and even then, it made no sense!

TW: dependency issues, mental health crisis, domestic abuse/assault, child abuse.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm surprised I finished this book - it was probably one of my least enjoyable yet. While I commend the author for portraying a heroine that suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and generally trying to give mental health issues representation in the story, this book just wasn't for me. I thought the main character was annoying, shallow, and utterly unlikeable, and the plot repetitive and boring. I found the storytelling lacking humour or tension, and while the writing style wasn't outright awful, I felt like it was trying too hard.

Kat is starting her day of change and manages to get fired and dumped over the phone within five minutes of each other, what better way to embrace all the changes then to live at her new, swanky gym!

This was marketed as a rom-com and I was sorely let down. Had that not been the impression I went in with, this might’ve been better. It’s a quirky idea and had the potential to be a hilarious rom-com but fell flat with home repetitive and frustrating it was.

I wanted to like Kat and embrace the representation of anxiety but she’s very much the “uses her anxiety as an excuse to be a bad person” character and she’s not even open about it! The happy ending epilogue was nice and left me feeling that Kat somewhat redeemed herself for me.

I’ll definitely read future releases from this author but I’m going to go in without a rom-com expectation even if it’s marketed as that.

Ugh, I wanted to like this book because it sounded like a witty and funny premise, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

It was marketed as being a rom-com - romantic and funny, but it didn't deliver on either. I like steam in my romance books, but it's not a necessity. This book had no steam, but also zero romance! It also wasn't funny, well not my type of funny.

The cover is fantastic, so there's that.

So know first off that despite the cover and the promo materials, this is not a romantic comedy. it's the story of Kat, a woman filled with anxiety who is fired from her job and ditched by her boyfriend within an hour while she's at the health club. And now she can't bring herself to leave the gym because every time she tries, she has a panic attack. I appreciate the portrait of an anxiety sufferer but she needs help with her mental health. Yes Marcus the personal trainer is a good guy but I don't understand why no one realized what was going on and got Kat the help she needed a lot sooner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A pass from me,

Come Here Often? by Ellie Center

On Monday Kat Noad joins a fancy health club as she wants to turn over a new leaf and start looking after herself. But just as she starts exercising, she gets a phone call from her boss who fires her and soon after a call from her boyfriend who breaks up with her and says he is moving out of their apartment. Those two awful phone calls send Kat, who all her life has suffered from anxiety, in to a down hill spiral. When ever she tried to exit the health club she has a panic attack, after all what is out there in the world an empty apartment and no job, while inside the health spa is like a retreat with a hairdresser, sauna, massage rooms, a restaurant, a juice bar, a pool, a bar and as much exercise as she wants.

I loved this book; it was funny and entertaining. I loved Kat as well as all the other characters.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of "Come Here Often?" by Ellie Center in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own.

1 out of 5 stars - and I would give 0 out of 5 if that was an option.


The front cover and description led me to believe that this book would be a romantic comedy. It was neither romantic nor a comedy. It was a depressing story where a girl with situational anxiety had everything in her life go wrong.

I identify with this character on multiple levels and I am disappointed that anyone would publish this. I've lived in Nashville. I have anxiety. I have a service dog. My personal dog died a few years ago. My mother works in the dental industry.

I tortured myself to finish this and I genuinely want to ask the publisher... Why. There is no romance. There is no growth in the character. It is depressing. It isn't funny.

I am so incredibly disappointed and hurt by this portrayal of a woman with an emotional support dog, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

This book took me so long to get into…perhaps that should’ve been my first sign. I really tried to like this book but in the end it was not what I was expecting at all. I DNF’d around 60%. I really hate to DNF books, especially advanced copies, but I just really couldn’t do this one. Based on the description I thought we were going to get a funny romcom but as far as I can see, there’s really no romance and I didn’t find it funny.

Right off the bat I didn’t really like Kat. She seemed irresponsible and wouldn’t hold herself accountable for anything. A majority of this book deals with Kat’s anxiety, which is fine, but I just didn’t expect it to be the entire theme of the book. She lost her job and her boyfriend in the span of an hour, and her anxiety won’t let her leave the gym. So logical thought is, “huh, I guess I live here now.” Insert eye roll here. She loses her job due because of her poor attitude and her boyfriend breaks up with her because she’s messy, self involved and immature. You’d think if you lose these two things in such a quick succession that it would prompt you to self evaluate, but that was not the case with Kat.

Also, was it just me or were there a lot of celebrity comparisons in the this book?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book! I really wish I had enjoyed it more!

I loved this book! As a sufferer of anxiety I really connected tor his story so thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this book early!

Kat is trying out the new health club her boyfriend signed her up for when she receives two devastating phonecalls - the first one from her employer, who promptly fires her, and the second from the boyfriend, who dumps her. Kat’s distress at this turn of events is so intense that when she tries to leave the health club, she finds she can’t. Struggling with her mental health, she decides she has no other option but to start living in the health club in secret, and grows closer to other patrons and staff alike.

This was a really odd book to read. I think the cover and the description of it is very misleading: the cartoon cover and inclusion of a male figure made this seem like it would be a cutesy romance, whilst the description describes it as a romantic comedy. I found it to be neither of these things: it wasn’t romantic, and it wasn’t particularly funny.

Whilst the description mentions Kat’s anxiety, I did not expect this to be literally the entire focus of this novel. This book is very introspective: it is entirely from Kat’s perspective, and apart from occasional encounters with other people, most of it is in Kat’s head: there’s a lot of details about her past and what has led her to where she is, the root causes of her anxiety, and her relationships. She has a few quirky encounters with other people working or using the health centre, but none of these relationships felt very developed. Anyone looking for romance should look elsewhere; Marcus, the man mentioned in the description, is only mentioned in passing for the first 40% of the book, but even after that stage takes a very minor role.

It was actually quite a bleak novel. The writing is good - that, I can’t fault, it was engaging and I couldn’t stop reading - but the tone of it is very jarring. Whilst I would not describe this as a comedy, the way the story is told is clearly designed to be comedic. It just wasn’t actually very funny. Kat’s situation is terribly sad. She is not a particularly likeable character, but I did find I pitied her a lot by the end of it. The result as a book that just made me feel quite sad and miserable, which is not what I expected based off the cover and description.

I think part of the problem is it’s very clear, as the reader, that Kat is in serious need of intervention for her mental health issues, and whilst it comes close to acknowledging this, I didn’t feel very satisfied at the end of it that this was a character that was going to get the help she needed. The ending felt too neat: it was all tied up with a nice big bow, but there were so many aspects to Kat and her life that I just don’t think could be sorted out with a quick conversation with her family and a flirtation with a personal trainer.

Overall I just found this a really odd read. I’m not entirely sure what the author was hoping to achieve with this book: the romantic element felt like an afterthought, and the clear attempts at creating humour fell very flat. I can sort of see how the bare bones of the concept could have worked, but as it is here, the book left a sour taste in my mouth. I think if the book had a different cover and the description made less of her relationship with Marcus, I may have felt differently - but then again, I may not have requested an ARC in the first place, because I would have known this wasn’t my kind of book. As it is, I feel a bit like the cover and description are incredibly misleading. Anyone looking for a lighthearted, cute romance with a comedic element won’t find it in this case, and I can’t say I would recommend it either. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Mental illness, anxiety, anxiety attacks / panic attacks, suicide ideation / suicidal thoughts, death of a pet (in past), intimate partner violence (off-page, side characters), attempted child abduction (on-page), violence, divorce (in past, MC’s parents).

*Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review*
This is a difficult book to rate, it's marketed as a RomCom, and I think that's definitely not the right category. There is very little romance and I'm not even 100% sure that there was any... or I missed it, there is some flirting (I think)
I really thought I would relate to Kat, was excited to read about a character that experiences the same as me, and yes I know anxiety manifests differently in different people, but Kat frustrated me so much!
The different characters in the book was really well written, and it's not a badly written book, there definitely were some highlights, the ending does feel a little rushed though.
I think if the author just maybe rebrands it as fiction, and not put it in Romcom genre, it might be received better. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any of the promised romance or comedy. So to make it fair I'm rating it as if it was a general fiction book.