Overall, this book was a fun and genuine rom-com that I found enjoyable. It wasn't life-changing, but I had a good time.
WHAT I LIKED:
The beginning was hilarious
A lot of the descriptions felt so authentic and genuinely quirky in a fun way
The first chapter did a great job of setting expectations/tone for the rest of the book
The first meeting of Zack and Lucy definitely made their dynamic super clear which I loved. Also, their dynamic is so good.
Some parts were laugh out loud hilarious
Lucy felt like a very real character
The house set up was so funny and perfect and well done. It felt super natural. I do wish that the set-up of the enemies to lovers and them "hating' each other had been more solid.
Katie is such a good character- definitely my favorite
The miscommunication actually made sense this time! The dog thing made me cackle so much.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Sometimes, things felt a little too explicit, like when Katie was accusing Lucy of saying she "can't live up to her parents' expectations". When you really are a workaholic (speaking from personal experience), you use more abstract terms tod escribe the feelings instead of saying them verbatim because otherwise you would just change your habits if you realize what's going on, you know?
The set up was so convoluted with the whole "accidentally sending to everyone" thing that I couldn't believe it. I wish that it had been more purposeful or maybe that it was a social media post or something.
I wanted to see the phone call where Lucy got fired and her slow improvement arc, at least in some kind of montage. Recapping it after a time jump didn't feel right for me.
I wish there had been more context about Dotty at the very, very beginning if she was so important to Lucy, not after the time jump.
While the beginning was so action filled and good, I also wish that it had started in the middle of Lavinia's phone call to Lucy and then sort of given context from there.
I didn't like Zach's character that much. Like how he singled out Lucy at the beginning felt cruel, not helpful or like a good instructor. And when he embarasses her purposefully in front of Annie instead of turning into a cute fake dating moment, it felt so rude and I cringed on her behalf
There's a lot of telling, but I wanted to meet Lucy's parents instead of hearing about them at the start or see her adventures to please her clients.
I liked the romance part better than the work part and I wish that the book had started with Lucy trying to buy the house after having fallen on hard times

Lucy has solely been focusing on work and building her business to the point that she has neglected her best friend and when one bad turn of events almost means loosing her business she decides she needs to change things. Trying to make amends with her best friend, she joints this yoga retreat to show she is trying to find a work-life balance. In this yoga retreat she meets the almost too calm for comfort, Ziggy aka Zack. It is an immediate crash of personalities but what she didn’t expect is that both her and Zack would be trying to buy her childhood home. When both are unable to buy it separately, Zack convinces her to buy it together and she plans to drive him mad to the point of wanting to part ways afterwards. What she does nto see coming is how patient and understanding he is.

I was very excited for this since it has amazing tropes such as:
- forced proximity
-enemies to lovers
-opposites attract

Buuuuuut, it fell flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, it had lots of funny/awkward moments! Mind you it was extremely slow burn…. I am talking 80% of slow burn….. Maybe that is why it was so hard for me to get into this book. I just felt that there was something lacking between them and I did not see/feel the chemistry or compatibility between the two.

Lucy had this moments of growth that seem to vanish as soon as a big work opportunity came along and there was always trouble with her friends. Zack seemed too passive at times. We didn’t really get to know him until 60% of the book… and he was suppose to be this yoga, vegan, healthy, Harry styles look a like and I just, well, I just did not see it.

There were certain plot points that for me were left so far in the plot that by the end they had to be rushed and it made the storyline loose its momentum.

I honestly loved the writing style and I think a lot will enjoy this book, it was just sadly not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book and the characters! Plus it is a great reminder that we can choose to slow down and all of the great benefits of staying out of the fast lane. We all need to find that balance between work and taking care of ourselves.

My only reason for giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because in the beginning I struggled with what was happening. I think a little more care in setting up the scene would be great.

Lucy’s one wrong decision cost her losing her business and nearly ended her friendship with her childhood best friend. To make her best friend happy, she joined a yoga retreat where she met the calm, charming, and never-on-time Zack and disliked him immediately. After losing everything, Lucy can't lose the chance to buy her childhood home. But Zack also wants that house. Zack makes her agree to buy it with him because she has no other choice. Lucy made a plan to make Zack irritated enough to leave the house, but Zack is more patient and leaves marks everywhere. Lucy is losing her own self in this mess.

This is such a sweet and soothing story that it touches my heart. I relate to Lucy's stressful working life and her approach to life. Zack is a charmer, carefree, and so much sweeter man. The story is more plot and character-driven, and the development in both of them is magnificent, especially in Lucy. Every moment is new to me and immerses me in it, never distracting me as if I had read it before. It’s hard to remember how many times I smiled while reading this. That doesn’t mean it doesn't make me cry. It is a really amazing read.

The beginning of this novel is slow, as is the romance. I didn't get an enemy's vibe, but surely dislike is present everywhere with a valid reason. I can feel the point Lucy has regarding Zack. And I love both of them.

Overall, Stuck With Him is a fabulous read with tons of hilarious banter and a unique housemate story that takes my mind off for many hours. I enjoyed every moment spent on this book.

I was very excited for this book based on the description.
When I read that this is a
- forced proximity
- „enemies“ to lovers
- slow-burn
- opposites attract
rom-com I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Unfortunately this book was very hard for me to get into. First of all, I did not like the main character Lucy. Her behavior in the beginning (the hen-party and wedding) really put me off and at this point I was kinda annoyed by her. However, it does get better…

Slow burn is fine but there has to be chemistry. There have to be these little moments where you feel the tension, building up to I did not feel a spark between these two at all. Lucy does have some moments where she questions, whether there is/could be more between them but apart from that…little to no chemistry.

Zack had all the potential for a perfect book-boyfriend. I mean Lucy says he kinda looks like a vegan, yoga-teacher version of Harry Styles. But somehow he just wasn‘t it for me.

Plus, there was so much unnecessary drama and miscommunication (especially with the love-triangle).

I did really enjoy the writing style though. Maybe Lucy and Zacks story wasn’t my fav but I might give Danielle Owen-Jones‘s books another go.

This one is only 2,5 ⭐️ in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was comical and lighthearted. The enemies to lovers dynamic between Zack and Lucy was well done. The only complaint I have was how unlikeable Lucy was, she was an annoying main character.

This one was for me a 2,5 star read.
I had a problem getting in to this one which I am surprised by because I really thought I would really enjoyed it based on the description and cover.

I wasn't a big fan of Lucy and she had me felt sorry for her long term best friend.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Bookoture for letting me read this one and hope others will find it more likeable than me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Stuck With HIm by Danielle Owen-Jones, All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC to review.

Stuck With HIm was an exciting read. I enjoyed the writing style and character development a lot, but when it came to the romance between Lucy and Zack, it fell flat. They were just too different for me to believe in the slow-burn relationship. So while I felt this was a fun and worthwhile read, it won't be a book I go back for a reread.

DNF at 47% and I'm bummed about it. The premise had so much promise and the first few chapters hooked me.

Unfortunately, the main character quickly became an issue. Lucy was not likable. Her selfish behavior took away from the rest of the story. I enjoyed Zack's character though. He's likely why I stuck around until nearly the halfway point before finally deciding I wasn't going to finish.

Overall, the writing style was great. I mostly just struggled to connect to the romance and the sort of outlandish events that led to them being forced together. But since I enjoyed the author's writing, I would still probably pick something up by her in the future despite not being fond of this one.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one. The writing was decent but I found the plot incredibly predictable and basically knew exactly what was going to happen by chapter four. Both Zach and Lucy I found to be very two dimensional and the “struggles” they went through wrapped up way to clean and perfect and their romance very boring! This one had all the makings of a great romcom but just fell flat for me. Would definitely still give this author another go but this one was not for me!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review. This was an extremely easy read and eased me back into reading after I started losing interest in reading after a short break.

Lucy the super unlikeable workaholic interior designer and terrible terrible friend is the main character. The story starts with her ruining her best friend's wedding by having her phone ring during her walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid and then refusing to walk the wedding to answer a business call. If that's not the definition of terrible terrible friend, I don't know what is. She deserved to lose all her clients.

As her business starts failing, her childhood home becomes available to purchase, but she can no longer afford it on her own because the bank would not give her a mortgage because of her unstable income. Her always late and "annoyingly" (in quotes because that's how Lucy would have described him) carefree yoga teacher is also interested in the same home. He also can't afford it on his own because he doesn't have enough for a deposit. They decide to purchase it together and this becomes and enemies to lovers trope.

Some other random thoughts:
1. I liked the author's writing style. It was easy to read and the idea was very fresh yet kind of crazy and unbelievable - basically strangers buying a home together.
2. The main character is so so unlikeable and so selfish that I almost gave up on the book. Her best friend Katie is also way too forgiving. Not only does she ditch most of her bachelorette party, and ruin her wedding, she also almost ruined her new build home. She also hated Zack for no reason, when Zack was the highlight of the book.
3. The Josh love triangle added unnecessary drama. He was added for no reason. He started out as a good dude and then had to be ruined in the next couple of chapters to make Zack and Lucy work, when why would Zack ever like Lucy when she's this annoying annoying person? I just did not really see the chemistry developing between Zack and Lucy and can't see them working in the long term.

3.5 stars!

Lucy is an interior designer and workaholic to the point that it's damaging her sanity and her overall well-being. She is on shaky ground with her best friend Katie, who is essentially a sister to her, after choosing her work over her friendship one too many times. To make it up to Katie, Lucy has agreed to join a yoga/wellness/meditation/breathing class where she meets Zack, a "good vibes only" type of instructor whose slightly pompous attitude rubs Lucy the wrong way. As fate would have it, Lucy winds up needing to pool her monetary resources with Zack when her grandmother's house (the house she grew up in) comes back on the market. Lucy and Zack must get to know one another while simultaneously learning to become housemates. Their lifestyles couldn't be more drastically different, and they have A LOT of miscommunication. Can they overcome their many obstacles to have a healthy friendship/roommateship/possibly even more with one another?

Author Danielle Owen-Jones sure knows how to write cheeky banter! Part of what makes "Stuck With Him" so successful is the witty nature of the characters. Unfortunately, it's also where she gets into a tiny bit of trouble. Some of the banter comes off as unnecessarily aggressive as Lucy and Zack have one miscommunication after another. I have a hunch this may rub some readers the wrong way. If they had just had a frank, blatant conversation instead of just assuming what was going on, their issues might have gotten fixed sooner, allowing them to enjoy each other's company as flatmates, friends, and/or potential lovers. Because of their lack of communication, they never feel like they are on the same page, so the chemistry doesn't really pick up until the last third of the book. On another note, I gotta say, I *hated* Katie as a character. If you have a friend like her, ghost immediately.

Some people may say Lucy is an unrealistically written character, to which I vehemently disagree. I've *known* *real people* like Lucy, outrageous workaholics who cannot stop for one minute to enjoy life without checking their email (much to the chagrin of their friends and family). Others may not be able to suspend their disbelief that Zach and Lucy bought a house together without knowing one another first, to which I say: have you SEEN the state of the economy?! Strangers things have happened in romance novels...this isn't that far of a stretch!

I enjoyed this book. It's a cute, fun, mostly easygoing read (so long as you're not a workaholic like Lucy..but I doubt you're reading, you're probably just working). It is a closed-door romance, so if you're looking for something steamier, this likely won't satisfy you.

𝑫𝑵𝑭 @𝟒𝟎%

So, given how intriguing the synopsis was and how this was marketed as something that readers of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 would enjoy, I had high expectations for this book, and it was utterly disappointing.

This book contains nothing of interest. The characters are the epitome of annoyance at its core. 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐍𝐎.


𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(4.5 out of 5)

She’s done it again, when I recently read the stone broke heiress I thought ‘wow I love love love this’ but not sure the author can do it again … well she certainly can!

I can’t even put my finger on why I found this book as joyous and entertaining as I did but with Danielle Owen-Jones she makes you feel completely relaxed and at ease as a reader. Her way of writing Is so relaxed and easy to read that it allows you to just go where the plot leads and enjoy every moment.

The plot reminds me of the classic sense and sensibility style storyline where a simple misunderstanding leads to emotional barriers being raised until the truth finally comes out.

I love loosely Lucy and Zack and found this rom com so much fun to read , I wish it hadn’t ended so soon. Yes it is a little unlikely that two people could just live together when technically strangers but just go with it and you will be in for a great journey.

I would have liked to delve into Lucy’s background (especially the relationship with her parents) a little more but overall I would highly recommend and I can’t wait to read more from this talented author!

Honestly a PRETTY decent ETL but I suppose the characters and setting could use some work??

Some parts of the book felt very vague and could've been written better and I honestly sometimes had to FORCE myself to calm down and not throw the book across the room cause Katie and Lucy just... Irked me.

But other than that, it was decent and well written for the most part.

Stuck with Him by Danielle Owen-Jones was a book I picked up because I needed a feel-good story after reading some heavy content. I was surprised to find that while this was the perfect comfort read, it was so much more.

I really enjoyed discovering Owen-Jones as an author. She managed to write a cute, fast-paced love story that engages her readers from the very beginning. It tackled one of my favorite troupes and managed to catch me off guard. Usually, a book in this category would be a solid 3 stars, but for a reason I can’t really put my finger on, I had to bump it up to a 4 star.

I planned on taking my time reading this book as a way to decompress, however, I couldn’t put it down. I found myself reading throughout the night, literally laughing out loud, and gasping as I found myself caught off guard. To be honest the twist should have been super obvious, but I was so into the story that I found myself surprised!

This book is seriously so cute! It is the perfect summer read! I highly suggest everyone check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Stuck With Him by Danielle Owen Jones

📚REVIEW📚

Lucy is a workaholic, but she loves what she does, so much so that she's almost lost her best friend. Now sitting at the bottom of the pit, after she lost one of her most valuable clients', she has to find balance between life and work how to slow down and live a little. Throw in the delectable wellness instructor Zack, the house that she grew up in and a dog, she's in for quite a surprise.

Sorry to say this book really was not for me, at times I would put it down out of pure boredom, it was slow, lacked the anticipation to turn to the next page and Lucy's best friend just got on my last nerve from the get go. All that said it was a good story.

Rating
3/5⭐

Thank you to Danielle Owen-Jones, Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own

I tried, god I really really tried but the heroine is a lost case. I disliked her so much abd loathed her antics. Like, how can someone be this immature?

So sorry I’m dnf-ing this.

Lucy is a workaholic, almost to the detriment Of her friendship with Katie. She has the chance to buy her gram’s old house, but can only afford it by pooling resources with Zen Zach. He’s Mr. Laid Back almost surfer dude while Lucy is wound up tighter than a rubber band.
I switched allegiances often between the pair while reading. I hated that Lucy had to beg to be forgiven by Katie so often.
It’s a cute read, but I think Zack and Lucy's different personalities will clash too often.

AHHH I love this romance! The uptight interior designer and the chill and laid back yoga teacher forced together in her childhood home. This book was adorable, the perfect light, fluffy summer romance. I really enjoy it.