Great Sexpectations by Kristen Bailey
Pub Date: 28 Jul 2022
4/5 Stars

Josie comes from what one might call an unusual family. She lives with her parents who are former porn stars, her brother is a popular actor in a soap opera, and she runs the family’s business, a hugely successful sex toy company. After how her last relationship ended, Josie is wary of getting close to anyone. Until she runs into Cameron at her brother’s posh Halloween party. Cameron has also been burned by love. He and Josie bond over their love of sci fi and movies and feelings begin to grow. If only Josie was brave enough to actually tell Cameron the real story of her family.

This is really such a sweet story of family and love. About protecting your heart after it’s been broken. The family characters are all so loving and funny. They’re willing to do anything for Josie. I really enjoyed this one and I’m sure you will, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. #GreatSexpectations #NetGalley

Josie is CEO of her family's highly-successful business selling sex-toys, lingerie and erotic gifts, she hugely proud of the business they have built up and her former porn-star actor parents (goodness only knows how I'm going to get this review past the B&N review algorithm). Then her fiance Mike dumps her without a word, leaving a cruel and hurtful note on the fridge and absconding with their wedding savings to Venezuela. Apparently he couldn't envisage a life explaining his wife's job or his in-laws' former profession.

Now Josie is over mIke (mostly) and her helping her TV actor star little brother Sonny celebrate Halloween in epic style with a lavish party which (of course) she organised for him. Eschewing the sexy vampire/nurse/catwoman costumes chosen by so many other women at the party, Josie has chosen to go as one of the Ghostbusters, these things really aren't her scene. Then she comes across someone else dressed as a Ghostbuster and they just click. Josie didn't mean to mislead Cameron about her job, she did organise the party food, but she isn't the caterer, but when he assumes she doesn't correct him, she even avoids acknowledging Sonny when he calls her out for organising the party from the stage. But as their friendship progresses, the lie begins to grow, Josie's father even pretends his name is Fabio, and it gets harder and harder to tell the truth. What makes it worse is that Cameron's family are all uptight, uber-conservative, snobs whereas Josie's family are free-wheeling liberals - never the twain and all that!

The dildo, penis and swearing factors are high in this book (as to be expected when you are the CEO of a sex empire), but at heart this is about protecting your heart from hurt after a bad break-up. It's sweet, funny and I devoured it. Love Kristen Bailey.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.