Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Publishing for the e-arc of this book.

• pet hedgehog
• potty mouth cockatoo
• fantastic banter
• actual LOL moments

This has become one of my favorite rom-coms, it has everything you could want in it. For me it was the most realistic rom-com I have read in awhile. It’s very easy to binge, there was never a point where I wasn’t enjoying myself while reading. A must read for rom-com fans.

I always enjoy Melonie Johnson's writing. So, I was pleased to receive an early copy of Too Wrong to Be Right. Kat has some serious "relationship baggage" when she meets our hero, Mick. Due to her own insecurities and doubts about herself, she immediately rules him out as a good boyfriend candidate and friend zones him. Meanwhile, Mick is nothing but kind to Kat. So, I confess to being frustrated with her character her for a good portion of the story.

The matchup between Kat and Mick was pretty clever. She works for a florist and he works for a family-run funeral home. Those two businesses match up pretty well and so do these two people. Kat is caught up doubting her ability to choose the right man for her next boyfriend. Her life is complicated further by her stress over business decisions. Meanwhile, Mick is trying to find himself at work where he doesn't feel like his gifts are being fully utilized. He does know for sure that he likes Kat but he knows about her "Mr. Right" list and decides to support her in the search for the "perfect man" and even goes as far as to agree to be her "wingman." The communication between these two where their feelings are concerned is definitely horrible. A lot of disappointment could have been averted if they'd have just talked to each other about their feelings. But I also feel like that response is somewhat realistic. People are hesitant to put themselves out there unless they feel fairly confident that the other person will reciprocate.

Overall, this was a cute, feel-good romance with great side characters and a cute hedgehog named JoJo. Mick is swoon-worthy in his goal of putting Kat's feelings before his own. Even if he's sometimes misguided, his intent is good.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is a straight and to-the-point romantic comedy that had me wanting to kick leading lady Kat for letting herself be blinded by her past. Things would always be so much easier in relationships if people talked things out, but then there wouldn't be a chance to get such a sweet and entertaining story.
Kat has decided that the men she's attracted to will always be assholes so she's going to ignore her attraction and go after a guy who meets her requirements for a good partner. Enter Mick O’Sullivan, who hits all of Kat's attraction points, so of course, Kat decides to ignore that attraction and just be friends. And it is a wonderful and supportive friendship that has both of them opening themselves up to possibilities they'd been hiding away from.
There's also the fact that along with Mick comes his family who opens their arms to welcome lonely Kat and also includes Mick's older brother, Joe, who is perfect according to Kat's list. He's serious, dependable, and a gentleman, too bad that Kat feels zero attraction for him.
The plot is a series of personal revelations and crazy little moments that make a friendship and relationship special, with tons of heart and humor thrown in to make the difficult emotional moments hit just a little bit harder.
Overall, it's an enjoyable story with interesting characters and solid writing.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the fun and romantic read!

Too Wrong to be Right (eARC) — 2 ⭐️

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: After a recent breakup, Kat realizes she tends to go for guys she has no future with, so she creates a checklist of qualifications for her next love interest. A not-so-meet-cute situation happens, and she meets the O’Sullivan crew at their family’s funeral home. Joe is exactly the kind of man she doesn’t typically go for, and he checks off all items on her list. However, she has an immediate connection with his brother, Mick, who is her typical type. What happens when her heart and mind collide while trying to make a decision on who to pursue?

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: My favorite part of the book was the diverse characters, and I do like the idea of the book - florist meets funeral home owner. However, this book fell short for me. I wasn’t a fan of Kat. Plus, some parts felt too drawn out while others felt too rushed. Overall, I don’t think the story lived up to it’s full potential, unfortunately.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
👀 Multiple POVs
🔥 Slow Burn Romance
🏡 Small Town Setting
🖤 Diverse Characters
🔓 Open Door Romance
🥰 Feel-Good Story

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
💐 You’d like to own a flower shop
🍰 You can’t resist sweet treats
🥃 Your drink of choice is whiskey
🦔 You want a hedgehog as a pet
❄️ You only want snow during the week of Christmas

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kat is attracted to the wrong kind of men, the kind of guys who leave you with a hedgehog instead of a ring on your finger. After the latest fiasco, she vows to concentrate on making wiser choices in her love life (as one does, right?).

Along comes Mick. Charming Mick doesn’t have a hedgehog, but he has a potty-mouth bird, and is wrong for so many of the reasons all the other previous loves were wrong. Obviously, being friends is the better option, and not friends with benefits either. Just friends. Except, Mick is pretty sweet, even for the wrong kind of man.

I wavered between a 4 and 5 on this book. There were parts that dragged just a bit. Other parts were pure gold. The characters were lovely, and I adored the development of the story. Things feel into place a bit too neatly, but isn’t that what happens in a romance? We aren’t reading tragedies! So, considering the trope, and considering the genre, I rounded up to a five. Read and enjoy!

TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT was my kind of quirky. This friends to lovers story had me hooked from the beginning scene. Kat Kowalski decides to create a list of qualities she hopes to find in a potential Mr. Right after a recent breakup. When she has a disastrous meet-cute with Mick O'Sullivan, she enlists him as her wingman.
This book was silly, and sweet, and I really loved both Kat and Mick, so it was easy to root for their HEA.
Honestly, without spoiling anything, the type of conflict in this book usually isn't my cup of tea, but I enjoyed Johnson's writing style so much, I found myself liking this too much to really be bothered. The side characters, including the animals, were an absolute delight.
You'll enjoy this if you like -
- Hilarious meet-cutes
- He falls first
- Fun banter
- Friends to lovers
- Animal sidekicks (>Seamus)
- Some steam

Thank you St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, for the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3⭐️ It was cute and I laughed a lot with it. I just didn't like Kat at times and I also didn't like the love (ish) triangle. Mick was so sweet I loved him😍

If the story is set in Chicago, I’m going to read. I was hooked from the first page, the writing was easy fast paced and enjoyable. All characters seem to be well developed, and I loved every single one. Enjoyed all the rom-com films mentioned. My only annoyance is that in friends to more trope we only get a lot of the friends and very little of the more. Which is what happened in this book, but I still loved how they were comfortable with being friends and respectful of their feelings towards the other, especially Mick. He had to wait for Kat to give him some sort of sign she wanted something with him.

The story was really cute and the characters were easy to root for. I felt like it started to get really repetitive about halfway through. I swear I was reading the same internal dialogue for both Mick and Kat over and over. I did love them still and I was so excited when they finally admitted their feelings for each other. I also liked the lives of both characters because it was a lot different from a lot of other romance novels.

4 stars!

I really liked the slow-burning "Too Wrong to Be Right" by Melonie Johnson! It's a bit of a wacky story, but it also has tons of humor, joy, and lesson learning to balance out the shenanigans. This rom-com has everything: chemistry, pining, an interesting family dynamic, good friends, some spice, a dash of snow magic, and insight into what it means to find "the one." I laughed so much while reading this book! I also cried once or twice, too. I *loved* the dynamic between the main characters Kat and Mick. They start out as strangers, but quickly become friends. Mick eventually serves as Kat's wingman to help her find her own "Mr. Right," which means Kat ignores what's right in front of her: HIM! It's a predictable tale as old as time, but that doesn't stop the journey from being entertaining and even kind of zany! Some readers might find Kat to be a bit of a selfish jerk in the last act of the book, and I can totally see and understand that very valid criticism. I have to admit, I fell for Mick a little bit, with his mismatched socks and Irish platitudes. Swoon-worthy! I also really enjoyed the secondary characters here, Mick's brother and sister, Kat's besties, and even the pets! Give this one a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Melonie Johnson, and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

Great book , interesting and fun really enjoyable. The mc are fun and the whole story is nice. Definitely will recommend

Finished ✔️ Too Wrong to Be Right by Melonie Johnson

3 ⭐️. 5 💫
Publish Day: February 28th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No
Slow burn Rom Com
True Romantic on a mission to find her happily ever after
It was decent but because it’s a slow burn it didn’t grab my attention with everything that was discussed early on.
This book could be someone else cup of tea.

#DeesReading #DeesRecs #DeesBookRecommendations #BookNerds #BookNerdProblems #BookNerdsUnited #BookProblems101 BookProblems #BookNerds101 #Bookworms #BookwormProblems #BooksOfFacebook #DeeTheBookReviewer #BookReviewer #NewToMeAuthor #ReadOfTheDay #BookOfTheDay #NetGalley #MelonieJohnson #TooWrongToBeRight

Book: Too Wrong To Be Right
Rating: 4/5
Author: Melonie Johnson
Genre: Romance
🗏 Pages: 356
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn,
Readability: 4/5 italic font is used
First Line: "Why is there a crocheted penis laying on the floor?"

Things to expect:
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Duel POV
Funeral Home & Florist
Banter

After being dumped by her jerk boyfriend and left with his hedgehog, Florist kat is done chasing after men who are just Mr. Wrong and swears off dating until she finds Mr. Right. After a meet disaster over a corpse, Kat meets Mick at his family's funeral home. Flesh burns hot, but of course, Kat wants to be just friends, but can they? The lines bur in this outstanding rom-com by the wonderful Melonie Johnson.

Melonie had me hooked after that meet disaster; meeting over a dead body was cute but disturbing. Like, oh, look at this super hot guy, but also, here is a dead body. Add in the adorable animals like Jojo, sexy banter, humor, and slow burn; you will finish this book in a day like myself. Melonie has a way of getting you engaged in unique ways. This book started off with a bang, with our heroine being dumped and left with the hedgehog. The book keeps pulling you in with a great stranger to friends to lovers story. I enjoy Melonie's writing style and how she always develops her characters. I was laughing out loud during this one, and I would suggest this as a solid beach read if you like your romcom with a side of caskets. 

Thank you to St. Martin Press for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kat’s boyfriend of six months tells her he’s leaving for an audition in Vancouver to be the host of a reality dating show, asks her to watch his pet hedgehog Jojo, then tells her that he’s never coming back. Mick, with his older brother and younger sister, runs the family funeral home, where Mick hasn’t quite found his place.

After a meet-cute worthy of a rom-com, Kat and Mick become friends. Each is attracted to the other, but they keep it to themselves. He values her friendship above the risk of more. Meanwhile, Kat confides in Mick that she’s created a list of the attributes for her perfect guy, since she’s picked so many losers in the past. Kat really likes Mick, but starting a relationship based on physical attraction is what doomed her in the past, so instead, she looks to Mick’s brother Joe, who checks off every feature on her Mr. Perfect list.

I absolutely adored Too Wrong to Be Right! Melonie Johnson nails the friends-to-lovers trope with Kat and Mick, bringing readers humor and all the feels. I knew I’d love this book from the beginning when Kat spends time with her grandma, evoking longing for my own Granny, making me deeply nostalgic. I could feel the love between the pair, and I had a few tears in my own eyes.

Ms. Johnson continues to evoke emotions when she brings the Kat and Mick close to more and then pulls them away. The longing is intense, and my heart would race with each kiss that left Kat and Mick yearning for more. As this dance continues, they grow to be close friends and confidants. It’s so obvious to the reader, as well as the pair’s families, that they are falling in love, yet each chooses not to risk more. It was frustrating (in a good way) to watch them each wait for a sign from the other to indicate they wanted more.

Too Wrong to Be Right is a joy from beginning to end. A true rom-com, it made me laugh and played with my heartstrings. Mick and Kat’s story evoked a wide array of emotions and left me contented. I highly recommend!

My Rating: A-

After being dumped unceremoniously by her boyfriend of 6 months (after agreeing to take care of his hedgehog), Kat is even farther away from her goals than ever. She keeps dating assholes(and seriously, who would give up JoJo, the sweet spiky ball of love that she is??) and she’s no closer to starting her own flower shop. So when she literally bumps into Mick while pinning a boutonnière to a dead man’s suit(talk about meet disaster), the friendship and zing of attraction that follows is too good to be true. Her heart has a knack for picking the wrong guys - and it’s time to find Mr. Right once and for all.

This was adorable! I loved the settings of this book - not often is a funeral home depicted with so much life in it! The family dynamic of the O’Sullivans was a great contrast for Kat’s lack of connection to her own(besides Babcia), and I loved the way that older adults were depicted and valued in this story. As a seniors activity centre director, meaningful relationships with older adult characters are always especially great to see in a romance novel!

The chemistry between Kat and Mick was great, and I liked the respect each had for the friendship despite growing attraction and feelings.

The idea of JoJo the hedgehog in tiny outfits was so cute, and I also loved Seamus the cockatoo’s potty mouth. Unique pets were a fun addition!

I didn’t love that Kat was going against attraction while thinking Mick’s brother, Joe, was her Mr. Right, but it did make sense for her mindset.

The ending was so cute, and I genuinely loved the epilogue (thank you for leaving marriage and babies out of it without ruling out the possibility!)

This book is another win for Melonie Johnson, and I’m looking forward to more stories from her!

“𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘵.”

Kat’s had terrible luck with boyfriends. The latest one dumped her and left her his hedgehog. Not a euphemism; it’s a real hedgehog. With this latest disappointment, she decides her instincts are terrible, and that she’ll only date Mr. Right.

Enter Mick, co-owner of his family-run funeral home. They have a unique meet-cute, and take to each other. There’s a good vibe between them but Kat strictly wants to be friends, only, and asks Mick to be her wingman, instead.

I liked the setup, and understood why Kat’s confidence took a knock after her last breakup. They’re so cute together, and Mick’s so charming. When things heat up they go from 0 to 60 in seconds!

However, I didn’t like the conflict that arose between them. It’s my favorite (not) miscommunication trope resulting in an argument that escalates. Kat’s reaction felt so contrived; I could feel the wheel turning in her head as she glommed onto the argument to push Mick away because she was scared.

Back to the fun things - its many moments of humor and sweet interactions like between Kat and her grandmother. The side characters are delightful, too. And it’s set in Chicago so I loved the setting. I’ve enjoyed reading Johnson’s books before, and this was just as fun!

Thank you to @netgalley & @smpromance for my review copy. This is my honest review.

𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 is available February 28th.

After her latest relationship breakup ends up becoming the owner of a pet hedgehog, the heroine is fed up with falling for a certain type of hero. The heroine decides to make a Mr. Right checklist and searches for that person who hits all the boxes. A meetup with the hero at his family's funeral home brings instant attraction between them, but the heroine wants to keep things in the friend zone. Yet as the heroine gets to know the hero better, will she let their attraction become more or will she let her past keep her from being happy with the hero?

This is an entertaining Melonie Johnson book. The story has this positive vibe that I enjoyed. I really appreciated the animals that enriched the story with their presence. There were also some strong secondary characters that helped the story progression. I liked the hero more than the heroine and would have liked more details about him in the story. Also, certain areas in the book needed more details for better transition. However, it's still a solid entertaining Melonie Johnson book and I look forward to reading more from the author.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

The story begins with Kat Kowalski who resides in Chicago and works is a floral shop. She has dreams of one day owning her own shop, she is dumped by her boyfriend and ends up with his hedgehog Jo -Jo as her nocturnal new pet.

Mick works at a funeral home which is his family's business. Unfortunately, it is not his dream, He hopes to one day become a grief counselor and help people with his psychology degree.

Mick and Kat meet over a corpse at Mick's family funeral home. Mick is immediately smitten, but Kat has sworn off dating until she can find a man who meets her list of ideal qualities.

I felt throughout the book that Kat has too many expectations for Mick and made the mistake to date Mick's older brother Joe because he met everything on Kat's list. Well, fate decided to step in, and Kat couldn't deny the chemistry between her and Mick.

The only downside for me was that I found Kat to be whiney at times. But overall, this is a cute and funny lighthearted rom-com and will have you rooting for love to conquer all,

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Summary
After yet another crappy breakup, Kat is determined to try something different. She makes a list of the perfect guy for her, and requirement #1 is that he must be the opposite of the handsome charmers she is normally attracted to. While delivering flowers for a funeral nearby, a run-in with one of the parlor owners will have her literally falling for her Mr. Right.

Why did I pick up this book?
I was gifted this Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley. I thought the premise sounded cute, and have been seeing Melonie Johnson on Instagram for a while.

What did I enjoy about it?
My favorite part of this book was the adorable grandmas that both Kat and Mick had in their lives. I always appreciate when the voice of reason or encouragement comes from someone other than a friend in these types of books. I also appreciated the lesson about having to compromise on our goals/dreams because sometimes they don't work out as perfectly as we hoped, but are worth taking the leap to find happiness.

What did I not enjoy about it?
Kat was a challenge for me. It is clear she feels abandoned by her parents and now seeks approval and affection from others, but to the point of emotional dependence. She also handled multiple situations of conflict in a very immature way, conflicts that could have been talked through and avoided. She writes Mick off immediately as "the type she always falls for" with absolutely no supporting data - why?? Last, I'm disappointed the author took the time to look up a number of Polish words, but couldn't be bothered to research the spelling of kolaczek/kolaczki, arguably the most well-known Polish pastry.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

Too Wrong to be Right is the first book I've read by Melonie Johnson. This is a strangers to friends to lovers rom com that takes place in Chicago over a period of several months including the holiday season. The main character, Kat, is literally dumped at the beginning of the book by her shallow boyfriend who also leaves his pet hedgehog with her. She tells her girlfriends that she is over falling for good-looking jerks and makes a list of the attributes her forever man should have. Of course, the first guy she meets after making the list completely catches her interest but is nothing like her list. They have a fun "meet cute" at a funeral home where there was even a sarcastic bird named Seamus who added some spicy commentary that made me chuckle.

I loved the character of Mick. He was at his own crossroads and trying to figure out which path he wanted his life to follow. He reluctantly finds himself in the friend zone with Kat and has to watch her date his brother because Joe DOES fit her criteria. At this point I was still liking the book a lot, but it started dragging and there was so much miscommunication or NO communication. There were a few steamy scenes that I thought were a bit awkward and, in my opinion, would have been better left out or maybe at least saved until the end. I did enjoy the author's writing style. I would be interested in trying another Melonie Johnson book in the future, maybe a story about Joe. Hint Hint. I can see lots of romance readers enjoying this, so will recommend to people I think would like it. For me, this one rates 3 stars.