4.5 stars!

This was SUCH a cute book!!

I’m literally swooning for Zander Matthews, heartthrob and hero of the story.

ALL FIRED UP features Imani Lewis, a workaholic, master list maker and book publicist, who happens to bump into her one-night-stand, Zander Matthews when she travels back to her hometown. He also just happens to be the brother-in-law to Imani’s best friend.

There were so many sweet moments, and plenty of laughs too, and I felt each tender moment that Imani and Zander shared. I also have to say their first official date was what romantic dreams are made of: a hot air balloon ride!

The audiobook was also fantastic, featuring alternating narrators Emma Love and Max Lloyd-Jones.

*many thanks to Forever/Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy and ALC audiobook for review

Four fabulous stars to this fun novel!! I wanted to read this originally because my parents fell in love hot ait ballooning and I wanted to read a love story with one!

I received the audiobook arc from @netgalley and @hachetteaudio in exchange for my honest review.

The Story 📚
This book takes place in the same universe as How Sweet It is. Imani is the best friend of the female main character and Zander is the brother of the male main character.

Imani Lewis is going home to help her grandma recover from knee surgery. During her time at home Imani must decide whether to take a job promotion back in New York and whether to pursue her former hookup, Zander.

Zander Matthews is a former marine with a no-time-like-the-present attitude and a heart of gold. Zander owns a local pottery studio and is well known in town for helping others. He pursues Imani and is upfront about his feelings for her. Zander is giving Imani space to figure things out, but can he show Imani he is the one for her without Imani getting cold feet?

The Review✨
I enjoyed this book so much. Zander is definitely book boyfriend material. Zander is good looking but also has his own vulnerabilites. I loved the incorporation of mental health into the storyline. The author approached this topic respectfully and in various ways. Zander helps Imani through a panic attack in the beginning of the book, but the author manages to add humor to a serious situation without trivializing the situation. Zander shares some of his issues with body image and anxiety throughout the book too.

Favorite Line 🎭:
Kate: I get it. Zander is a giant thirst trap
Zander: The giant thirst trap has ears and is still listening.

The Narration 🎤
Both Narrators did a great jon. The audiobook was done really well and had a good pace.

Listening speed 🏎:
1.25x

Would I recommend this book?
Yes! It was a fun read, and I loved the characters.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: medium


CW: grief, parent death, body image issues, anxiety, ptsd, panic attack, pregnancy/birth, fire, discussion of war, etc. *Be sure to check content warnings for other potential triggers.

This review may contain spoilers.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, How Sweet it is. I remember reading it super fast because I was very invested but I could not get into this book. My biggest issue was Imani. She played the martyr throughout the entire book. One of the other characters even called her out for it and she still didn’t stop. Every time she did something or said something that annoyed me (which was ALOT) I just rolled my eyes. I felt like Imani treated Zander like s**t and I was not here for it. I really liked Zander though and I think he deserved better. Sorry NOT sorry.

This book dealt with a lot of serious topics and
I kind of feel like there are a lot of trigger warnings for this book. I feel like the author should have addressed them at the beginning of the book but she did not.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there was certain parts of this book that didn’t sit right with me. For example (this is a spoiler,) when Kate was giving birth. That whole scene was just way more than I wanted to read about. It was a lot. It was not necessary at all.

I am looking forward to Rykers book in the sense that he is such a mystery so I am looking forward to learning more about him as a character but I also know because he has a traumatic past that I think it will be a

CW: Panic attack (ch 2), mention of suicide (ch 4), talk of depression and bipolar disorder, death of a parent, Migraines, difficult childbirth, c-section, loss of a limb, being injured during military service.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Y’all, after I read How Sweet It Is last year, I NEEDED Zander’s story! Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!⁣
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This book was the perfect vacation read for me last week…fun, flirty, and sassy! I loved Imani in the first book! Her confidence and sass were the perfect contrast to her softer side that we got to see with her grandmother. And anyone who color codes her lists with fun pens is ALWAYS okay with me! Zander was her total opposite…a fun-loving, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. But their chemistry was amazing despite their different personalities. ⁣
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Other things I loved…⁣
🎈An amazing first date! 💕💕⁣
🎈Gigi!! EVERY time I laughed out loud (which was quite a few times) it was something Gigi said! We should all be lucky enough to have a grandmother like her!⁣
🎈Lancelot - the comic relief bird. His timing was always perfect. 😂⁣
🎈Zander’s pottery studio - can I have a setup like this, please? How fun would that be??⁣
🎈Glimpses of Drake and Kate from book 1!⁣
🎈The game instructions at the end…we love a good game and try to have a family game night once a week! We will absolutely be trying this one!! ⁣
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Highly recommend this small-town romance! I think you’d probably enjoy it more after reading the first book so grab that one too!! I can’t wait to get Ryker’s story next year!! 😍

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. The writing itself was good, but the plot was too predictable, there weren’t any surprises. It was a bit too cliché and cheesy at times.

With this said, I do believe there are readers out there who will enjoy the familiarity of this trope and predictability of this story, as well as what I would call cheesy humor. It’s a fun easy love story with minimal emotional turmoil.

I listened to the audiobook and every time the narrator mentioned how Imani was mesmerized by Zander’s Irish Spring scent or how Zander made Imani’s nipples “stand at attention,” it made me laugh. Maybe the author meant some of those details to be a little humorous, but probably not as humorous as I found them. I think some details that were meant to be more serious or sexy, came off as funny or cheesy to me.

To be totally honest, I was more curious about Zander’s brother Riker. He was a side/minor character, yet I felt his backstory and personality was more intriguing than Zander’s was.

I did appreciate how Zander helps Imani get through a panic attack and a couple of other difficult moments. I also liked how Imani’s family and friends encourage her to slow down and take care of her physical and mental health. Those details gave the story a bit more depth.

The audiobook narrators did a good job. I especially appreciate the change of voice for the bird and for Imani's grandmother.

Thank you Netgalley, Forever publishing and Hatchett Audio.

Thank you to the tagged publishers and netgalley for my e-arc and ALC copies of ALL FIRED UP in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes today, Tuesday May 17!

I loved this book! It was so fun to listen to, with two different narrators for Imani and Zander 🙌🏻

I love a second chance, opposites attract romance, with a swoon worthy male MC! Zander Mathew’s is the perfect book boyfriend 😍 The side characters were all great, my favourite being Imani’s grandmother! She was too funny!

Despite having a one night stand, and them both wanting (or needing) to stay in the friend zone, the attraction between Imani and Zander was clearly evident. I loved watching their relationship grow as they got to know (and fall) for each other.

I haven’t read the author’s first book, How Sweet It Is yet, but now I just so I can read all about Kate and Drake’s story. Even tho I’d book had recurring characters from the author’s first book, you can read it as a stand alone. I wasn’t confused at all!

I highly recommend this laugh out loud, swoon worthy rom com!

Months after a no-strings attached weekend together, Imani Lewis and Zander Mathews have said less than a handful of words to one another. Now, Imani is back in town to care for her grandmother post-surgery and tend to her best friend pre-baby, and Zander just keeps showing up. While Imani is focused primarily on sorting out her career aspirations, Zander is easy-going and doesn’t give the future much thought. These two are complete opposites, yet undeniable chemistry keeps drawing them closer together again. Imani doesn’t trust Zander is serious enough to commit to a mature relationship. Zander is just hoping for a real first date!

This is a companion novel to the author’s previous book, How Sweet It Is, which focuses on Imani’s friend Kate and Zander’s brother Drake. I haven’t read that one (yet), but All Fired Up can absolutely be read as a standalone and I don’t think you will feel lost if you haven’t read the first book!

This was a really fun rom-com! Each character has some complex trauma in their past, and I appreciated the author (and characters) discussing that face-on. The characters had a chance to learn from each other and it never felt too over-the-top. Dual POV (my favorite), cute side characters, and multiple steamy interactions between our two MCs!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Imani is taking some time to decide where she wants to go with her career, and her time at home caring for her grandmother is the perfect time do so.

Zander is looking forward to seeing the woman that captivated him at his brother's wedding. The youngest of three Matthews brothers and the owner of All Fired Up pottery studio.

The friendships, chemistry, and adventure present in this book are just the icing on the cake to the great writing, dialog, and story within. It's easy to fall into Kate and Imani's friendship, first told in "How Sweet It Is", and while this reads as a standalone it pairs well with Dylan Newton's previous penning, where we are first introduced to Kate and the Matthews family. With sizzling chemistry, and palpable attraction, "All Fired Up" brings the heat. Even providing some comedic relief along the way, in the form of Imani's grandmother and friends.

This was such a perfect read to kick off the warm months to come, and even inspire me to check out my own local hot air balloon festivals myself.

This was a cute, fun and lighthearted escape! There was enjoyable witty banter, a charmingly hilarious talking parrot, a firecracker of a grandma and Zander is definitely swoon worthy material! This one has mild spice but an entertaining and slow burning sexual tension.

This one reads like a standalone, but operates similarly to Abby Jimenez, Helen Hoang and Jasmine Guillory’s series style where there are character overlaps but new protagonists and stories per book!

While I haven’t read How Sweet It Is yet, I’m excited to go back and read about Kate & Drakes story and looking forward to Newtons next book and following Ryker!

I picked up How Sweet It Is without knowing anything about the author, and I absolutely devoured the book! Then, I saw she had a new book out, and I snagged it without even reading the synopsis. So, I was so surprised and delighted to find that this story follows the romance of two side characters from How Sweet It Is!

All Fired Up starts up with Imani, a book publicist coming to stay with her grandmother who is having a surgery and could use some help recovering. When her best friend is supposed to pick her up at the airport, she finds Zander instead…her one night, okay two night, stand and also her best friend’s brother in law.

What follows is honestly quite a sweet story of a man in love waiting for the girl to be ready. I really enjoyed how patient Zander was while Imani worked through all of her emotions. Zander has his own bit of growth as well, but Imani stole the show for me in this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I think I loved How Sweet It Is just a bit more for the comedy aspect but enjoyed the slow-burn romance of All Fired Up!

I wanted to like this but found Imani to be immature and insufferable. She spent more than half the book treating this poor sweet ex-marine, business owner who has bent over backward for her like shit and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was wasting even a moment of his time trying to get her to go on a date with him. They had no chemistry, she would blow hot and cold with him and be so rude for no reason, even as he helped her and her family get their shit in order. Barely finished

Happy Pub Day to Dylan Newton and her newest release! If you enjoyed her last book, How Sweet it Is - you will love this one too! I find Newton’s writing so easy to read with great flow. Zander is a dream man (hot, handy, artist!!!). The book is feels very light, but there are some heavy topics blended in.

Read it if you love::
•small town romance
•opposites attract
•duel perspectives
•guy falls first
•sweet and funny Grandmas
•annoying talking birds
•such a great ending!

🎧The duel narration was excellent and I really enjoyed how the voices brought the characters to life!

All Fired Up is a fun, engaging romantic comedy. The characters are highly likeable and relatable. It was interesting to read how the two protagonists, who have polar opposite views on how they live their lives, eventually get together.

Our experiences in life mould us into who we are today. Imani is a book publicist and workaholic striving to excel in the business world. Zander is more laid back, creates ceramics and lives one day at a time. It was interesting to watch these two find that they have more in common than what initially meets the eye.

Imani has come to town to support her beloved Grandmother, about to have double knee replacement surgeries. Imani takes on the task of cleaning and repairing her Grandmother’s home, preparing it for her return home. She’s also in town for the wedding of her best friend who is marrying Zander’s brother.

Despite the fact this is a romantic comedy, there are some serious topics discussed in the book including PTSD, insomnia, depression, and survivor’s guilt. These issues are handled with sensitivity by the author and provide greater insight into these characters.

I listened to the audiobook version of All Fired Up which was narrated by Emma Love and Max Lloyd-Jones. Their performances were excellent, full of expression and enthusiasm and easy to listen to. I recommend this version of the book to those that appreciate this format.

Providing all the feel-good of a summer with family, friends and falling in love, All Fired Up is a light-hearted, slightly steamy contemporary romance novel that I recommend to those readers who enjoy this genre.

Narrator 3 stars
The female narrator was a bit too over the top for my linking.

Story 3 stars.

The story was ok. I really enjoy cheesy but this was a bit too cheesy for a good 50% of this book.

Would try this author again though

I found that I really enjoyed this story as an audiobook. I was all tree to listen and enjoy while doing other things. The story was sweet.

I'm sitting here trying to write a review for this book and realizing I just don't have a lot to say... this was sweet, a quick read, and fairly low angst. While I feel like this storyline had a lot of potential, I just didn't fully buy into our MCs' connection. I think a part of that is the book references a prior hook-up that we're just told about and not shown, which I think really hurts the foundation of their connection. I did enjoy seeing the couple from How Sweet It Is (they are in here a lot) and the side characters were great.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hatchette Audio, and Dylan Newton for an advance listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! It was so fun to see Zander & Imani's story revealed in this story while catching up with Kate & Drake from How Sweet It Is! I loved that this story touched on so many different aspects but I especially enjoyed that mental health was talked about throughout the book. The other characters in the story were such great additions too (I've never met a grandma and bird who made me laugh as much). This one is out on 5/17 and it deserves a place on your bookshelf!

A sweet and entertaining romance about a woman who’s taking a break from the publishing world for the summer to visit her grandmother. What she doesn’t expect to find is the man she ghosted last summer. The attraction between these two makes for some great chemistry and flirty moments. The scene with the hot air balloon (check out that beautiful cover design!) was fun and so swoony to read. While this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. My favorite part of this book was the thematic elements of anxiety and control. I could relate to the heroine’s struggles in a small way and appreciated the journey she went through to take on chance to create the life that she really wanted. Overall a great audiobook recording with two fantastic narrators and an entertaining, fun and easy to read romance. Many thanks to net galley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

Content: grief, survivor’s guilt, anxiety and parent with bipolar disorder

This was as cute as I expected!⁣
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I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC and audio ARC and got to go back and forth. I always enjoy the narration when they have dual narrators. It made me smile and laugh while listening and was just what I needed. ⁣
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Imani is a workaholic visiting her bestie and her gram who is having knee surgery. Zander is her besties’ husbands’ brother and always seems to be around.⁣
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The banter and chemistry between these two is laugh out loud funny. Imani tends to be tightly wound and Zander is laid back and loves a good joke. Zander helps get Imani out of her head, but also is so sweet and seems to have the whole town wrapped around his finger. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needs it. ⁣
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Don’t get me started on grams, she was HILARIOUS. She had me cracking up. ⁣
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Thank you for the gifted ARC. I adored this one!⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️