this is such a cute book! i really hadn’t heard about this book until i saw it on NetGalley, and the cover and blurb of the book sounded interesting. the second there was a one bed/forced proximity, i was in!! i think the love between harrison and haley was great, i love a good slow burn.

i do wish that this was from the first person pov, i really find it hard to connect with characters through a third person pov.

rating 3.5

Enjoyed this but didn’t love it. Sometimes these cartoon covers are hit or miss for me. Overall okay

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Midnight, Repeated.

Dani McLean was kind enough to send me a physical ARC, which I appreciated. It's still a good book, I just preferred her debut better.

A perfectly short rom-com read with a dash of spice. If you like Hallmark movies, unique plots and want a novella that you can read in one sitting you should check out this book! Definitely looking forward to the reading the next in the series.

I want to thank NetGalley, Dani McLean and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

I enjoyed this author’s previous novella, Midnight Repeated but I didn’t connect with this one. I often find romance novellas are tricky when to plot heavy as there’s just not enough time for the depth of storytelling required.

This novella was such a cute read! I loved that it was a short read and that it grabbed you from beginning to end. I also love a book that makes you feel like its giving you a hug. You just nestle up with it and enjoy the feels. If you are looking for a grumpy/sunshine read then you will love this novella.

Thanks NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for allowing me to read this ARC.

This is the second book in the Movie Magic series. I have not read the previous book and was excited to give it a try, and I was not disappointed. The story has a grumpy/sunshine trope, which is always fun to read. Hayley and Harrison are both screenwriters and are forced together to write the next big hit, which is set to be a rom com. This is not at all up Harrison's alley as he does not write romance and loathes it, so he's not too thrilled about the idea. But writing this script with Hayley plants him right in the middle of his own rom com, where anything is possible. Love seems to be in the air everywhere and Harrison can't escape it.
The characters were interesting and it was easy to get pulled into their story. I enjoyed the writing style, which was fast-paced and included plenty of humor and fun which kept me smiling all the way through. The silly and witty banter between Hayley and Harrison was fun to read and they had really great chemistry. This was a perfect Hallmark-esque story with a little bit of spice added in. I had such fun reading it!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and this is my voluntary review.

Not My Love Story was a fun novella exploring the lives of 2 screenwriters who have to come together and write a movie in a week's time. It's a forced proximity, workplace, grumpy/sunshine romance with the one bed trope thrown in for good measure.

Harrison is stuck in his contract, unless he can collaborate on this one last movie in order to get out of it and go back to writing the kinds of stories that interest him. Unfortunately, it has to be a romcom, and he has to write it with Hayley Bennett. They have a history. An intense history that he had been avoiding for months. As the week progresses and they work together to write the romance, it becomes clear that they are living in a romcom of their own. Will there be a happily ever after for the two of them, or will Harry's cynicism come between them and ruin what could be a wonderful thing?

This story was sweet and spicy, full of tension and slow burn. A quick, enjoyable read.

Romance readers will love this one (and I love romance books) very tropey but I enjoyed it, worked well since it was a novella and if you’re looking for a short romcom with some spice you should check this out.

This book followed Hayley and Harrison as they work together to write a movie. These two are complete opposites where Hayley writes romance movies Harrison definitely does not. Harrison does not like romance movies and is an extremely cynical person in relation to the romance loving Hayley. This is the clear opposites attract trope.

This book was very tropey but I enjoyed it and I think that it worked well especially since in was a novella. I will say that at times their banter was a little much for me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think if anyone is looking for a short romcom with some spice you should check this out. I will definitely look out for anymore of the books coming out in the future.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

“God, what he wouldn’t give to know what love felt like.”

💚

Quick Summary:
🏙️ Fictional city
♥️ Second chance romance
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 Forced proximity
☯️ Opposites attract
🥵 Tension
💬 Banter
🌶️ Spicy
🌲 Lots of pining
🛏️ One bed

This was such a beautiful story! Told from the single POV of Harrison Kyle, who hates romance but is forced to be a writer on a rom-com movie. He’s partnered up with Hayley, who is a hopeless romantic. As they work together to create a fictional romance, they begin to develop their own. They had a fling previously, so their history is also a factor. Harrison is such a cynic and is so determined to write something meaningful, all the while dismissing romance in writing as fluffy and beneath him. I liked that the story was told from his perspective, because he was the character struggling with his feelings and believing in love, while Hayley waited patiently for him to catch up. I loved that she was so encouraging and joyful and loving. They were the perfect match!

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC!

**This review has been published on Instagram and Goodreads and Amazon

This grumpy/sunshine romance novella was a real joy to read. It’s filled with witty banter, includes the beloved ‘only one bed’ trope and is short, sweet, and a little bit spicy.

Thank you @netgalley for the arc of this novella. I love the new short story section!

Grumpy/sunshine ✔️
Forced Proximity ✔️
Second Chance ✔️
Workplace Romance ✔️
One Bed ✔️
Open Door ✔️

This book had so much potential and ticked so many boxes but it fell flat for me. I was confused and lost for half of it, I couldn’t keep up with what was real and what was for the rom com they were working on 🤷🏼‍♀️

Harrison was an a$$. Don’t get me wrong, I like a bad boy/alpha male but Harrison just didn’t cut it. I’m not quite sure about Hayley. She lacked personality and was kinda just, there.

Overall it was a quick read but I think there was too much going on in so few pages it lacked any depth.

“Not My Love Story” by author Dani McLean is the story of Cynical Screenwriter Harrison Kyle who hates everything that revolves around the word Romance. As part of a studio contract he has no choice but to write a rom-com with fellow screenwriter Hayley Bennett, who believes in “Love conquers all” philosophy. The question is - Can Harrison fight his insecurities to be the hero of his own story?

The premise of the story is really interesting and attention-grabbing. There’s some banter, there’s irresistible chemistry between the MCs, there’s a town obsessed with Valentine’s Day, and the cliché cynical falling for a believer story.
The start felt a bit slow-paced to me, but once the pace picked up I enjoyed every bit of it. Just wished there was a little sneak peek into Hayley’s side of a story or a dual POV.

Go for it, if you enjoy the following:
- Sunshine and Grumpy romance
- Forced proximity
- One bed trope
- Hallmark romances

It’s a cute novella for romance lovers who would like to see a collaboration with the silver-screen and reading world of romance!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this novella!
I love the slow burn and the characters. It was such an easy book to escape into and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something feel good!

I wasn’t a huge fan of the story, I found it a little repetitive in regards to what they were feeling and thinking. It was a steamy, romantic read but it wasn’t for me.

This was a cute story.

I was a little bit confused at the beginning, I feel like a prologue about their night together would have been a nice intro to the story.

I liked that the story was on Harrison’s point of view. However there were parts that felt underdeveloped. It was a cozy cute story just not my favourite!

I really wanted to enjoy this book - the premise sounded great, but it wasn't excuted well, unfortunately. There wasn't much of a connection for me with Harrison or Hayley, and I just didn't fall in love with it. It felt like there was hardly any interaction between them.

Cute quick read. I enjoyed the story and characters. Little too on the cutesy hallmarky side for me. But a cute rom com novella none the less. I will still probably read the third one. Fluff is good sometimes!

Para empezar, gracias a NetGalley por esta ARC.
Este libro comienza cuando Harrison Kyle, un guionista que odia las películas de romance, se ve obligado a escribir un guión de romance para poder terminar un contrato asfixiante con el estudio. Para realizar esto le envían a una guionista de romance, con la que tuvo un lío hace un tiempo, y a la cual no puede olvidar.

Esta novela no ha sido para mi. A pesar de que es corta, se me ha hecho eterna, pues es una sucesión de los pensamientos pesimistas del protagonista. Apenas hay interacción entre los personajes y además siento que no hay química entre ellos.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
This book begins when Harrison Kyle, a screenwriter who hates romance movies, is forced to write a romance script in order to end a stifling contract with the studio. To do this he is sent a romance writer, with whom he had an affair a while ago, and whom he cannot forget.

This novel has not been for me. Although it is short, it has seemed eternal to me, since it is a succession of the protagonist's pessimistic thoughts. There is hardly any interaction between the characters and I also feel that there is no chemistry between them.