Thank you netgalley and dreamscape media for sending me this awesome read. I enjoyed every minute of this audio book. The best friend live story of Samantha and Carter. Bestfriends that never thought that they would ever be. This book was one of the first in a while to have me laugh out loud. Of course Nya's wedding drama just made this book even better. A must read/listen. My first read from Grace Ruth Mitchell but not my last.

Maid of Dishonor by Gracie Ruth Mitchell (coming out 28 March 2023): Overall, this was a fun, one-pepper book. She's on the baseball team and has been pining for her best friend since high school; he's a baseball coach who doesn't want love because he's seen what its aftermath has done to his father. I'd give you warnings for vomit because there's both morning sickness and sympathetic puking. The tropes:

best friends to lovers
unplanned pregnancy (not in the main couple)
girl who thinks she's not hot when everyone else can see she's hot
boy with a big ego and a heart of gold
generational damage (one mom in rehab facility after car crash, the other deceased)
boy who says he's never going to fall in love even though he's already pining for girl
Those are the biggies. The main characters seem young, but I enjoyed their voices. Your thoughts? Would you read this book?

This book was somewhat ok, the writing was smooth and simple, without unnecessary embellishments, I really appreciate that.
the FMC was too immature for her age and "not like other girls".
The MMC's only personality trait is that he is afraid of commitment.
The secondary plots were far more interesting and Winifred has my heart.

3.5/5

This was a quintessential rom-com! Sam and Carter are besties who have romantic feelings, unknown to the other. They have a great friendship and are great for each other. This book takes us through their journey from the friend zone to maybe more?? A very cutesy story. The only 2 things I wish had happened was someone kicking chet/Chad's ass and maybe a little spice ! I enjoyed the audio book provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the story but I am slightly confused as to how the title is related to the story. It's really more of a story of how two best friends finally discover that they have feelings for each other and have had feelings for several years.
I know that they are trying to help their friend Mya to not marry the father of her baby because he's really not a good person and that could qualify her as not being very honorable in that regard, but I don't feel like it was titled well.
Otherwise it was a decent story and I definitely enjoyed the upstairs neighbor. She was a hoot!

A really cute rom-com! I found the main characters so lovable that I was really rooting for them. It was a fun audiobook to listen to while driving and doing chores. A lighthearted, easy read in between some heavier books.

I have a group of students who inhale romcoms. I can’t keep up with their recommendations or requests. I know they will take to this one quickly. The friends-to-love trope seems to be popular with this group & I think it’s because many of them are stuck in the weird place where the line between friendship & love is probably the most complicated.

The characters in this were likable. There wasn’t the emotional depth, but it’s a rom-com—not a rom-sorrow. Sometimes there’s enough emotional depth in the world without always being surrounded by it! There were a few secondary characters who will probably feature later in the series, so they weren’t particularly well developed here. Their roles, however, were only supporting roles, so it’s not problematic. The stage is definitely set for a sequel & I think there is plenty of room for that to happen.

The narration was also solid. The voices suited the characters, & the timing between each narrator matched well.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
I love a good friends to lovers romance. This one felt a little too drawn out and pretty predictable, but still enjoyable.

Testing audio file chapters for maid of dishonor audiobook - a romantic comedy from Dreamscape Media.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*

Samantha and Carter are best friends. BEST friends. They've been intertwined in each other's lives since middle school, and now, much like a clown-fish and an anemone, they can't survive without the other. The only problem? They are both disgustingly in love with the other.

Buckle in, and get reading for a friends-to-lovers, mutual pining/unrequited love, "sworn off a relationship" mess. There's also a sub plot about sabotaging a wedding and a delightfully grumpy old woman named Gertie. This book is a PG-13 romance, with only vague references to sex and no language, and would be appropriate for a younger reader.

The thing I didn't love about this book: Samantha has very strong 'I'm not like other girls' vibes, which can be exhausting to listen to. However, the author did a good job of giving her character depth and internal conflict that is outside of the impending romantic relationship.

Overall, MAID OF DISHONOR is a light read full of fun banter, perfect for the summer season!

Sometimes all I want is to be wrapped up in the comfort of a friends-to-lovers book, and this one delivered. I loved all of the pining, the cute I-know-you-so-well moments that only two best friends can provide, and the sweet resolution when they finally got together. My main complaint would be that they were clearly in love from chapter one and it made the romantic tension less strong - sometimes that's not an issue, when the characters' reasons for not being together are compelling enough that tension exists anyway, but I didn't quite believe in Carter's reason for not pursuing a relationship. That being said, I ultimately did believe in their friendship and their relationship, and this still ended up being a lovely closed-door romance.

Also, shout-out to the narrators, who did a great job! I cackled every time either of them voiced Winnie - they both nailed it completely.

Absolutely adorable! The story was phenomenal. The voice actors were amazing. I love when they have two voices for dual narration books. It makes me so happy and these narrators hit the nail on the head. It made the story so enjoyable hearing the beautiful story play out!

Friends to lovers romance books are not my normal go to read. I liked this one enough to give the next book a go. I assume there will certainly be a next book as we have left a certain character on a life changing course. It was a bit predictable for me and was an exceptionally clean romance. I do like a little spice in my romance books.

3.5 stars for me. I will definitely read the next in the series. Both narrators were great!

unfortunately I DNFed this book

the book started with the female character describing how she's a tomboy and talking shit about other women flirting with her best friend who she's obsessed with which was weird to start with,
however her "I'm not like the other girls" and judgmental character didn't stop at that and that was very off-putting for me to finish this audiobook.

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Gracie Ruth Mitchell for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book! The storyline was entertaining, the romance was sweet and it was funny!

I highly recommend reading this book!

Thank you NetGalley, dreamscape media and the author for the #gifted ALC in exchange for honest review. I loved this book the charactera the story the tropes it was all pwrfection. This is my new favorite closed door book will recommend to my friends for sure.

4.5/5☆

Samantha and Carter have been best friends since middle school. They love baseball and hanging out with each other. Sam also loves Carter and has so since high school. Maya, Carters cousin is getting married and has asked Sam and Carter to help her plan it. It shouldn’t be any problem for these two best friends, that is until they were challenged to kiss for five minutes. Can these two best friends remain the same or should they move their relationship to a romantic one. Tarot cards, horoscopes, and a fish named Moby will help them decide to stay the same or move forward into something new.

This is a warm romance and an easy read. I had a couple of problems with the book. The first big one was the dare from the landlord. The whole scene felt contrived and flat. It did not feel believable which then slowed down the believability of the blooming relationship. I wasn’t invested in the characters, I honestly didn’t care if they came together or not. The book wasn’t horrible, it lacked a connecting element of the reader to the story. It felt like the characters were one dimensional and not fully developed.

I started listening at normal speed to get a sense of the voices and cadence and then sped up to 2.0. The authors were good, had a clear voice, and portrayed the various emotions of the characters.

I love a good friends-to-love, since that's my own love story, and this one was great! Carter and Sam have been besties for years and now, change just might be on the horizon.

I listened to this one and appreciated the alternating points of view. I love planting myself into each character's head to get the full picture. It's so hard to know if staying in the friend zone is for the best or if it's time to take things to the next level, because if it doesn't work out, there's no going back. The inner (and outer) struggles were sweet, real, and hilarious.

Loves:

*Carter and the chocolate chips
*WINIFRED!! The quirky, elderly neighbor is the best!
*Flowers/plants
*Planting "signs from the universe"
*Baseball
*Jealousy (including a neon green-eyed baby)

This story had a second tangent with Carter's cousin, Maya and Chad/Chet, which added some drama, angst, and healthy doses of humor trying to get that name right.

This was an enjoyable story from start to finish and I'm excited to dive into the rest of the series.

Content: some talk of periods; unwed/unplanned pregnancy and open relationship; mild+ romance/innuendo

*I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

This book has the kind of blurb that can go either way. There were some good elements there. Friends to lovers... yes! They're both teachers... adorable! Trying to help a family member/friend in a childish but ultimately well-intentioned way... ok... Unfortunately, this was overall a very disappointing experience.

The female main character, Sam, was annoying and the narration grating. The male main character, Carter, was vapid and forgettable. Even the ending was unsatisfying. There are a lot of ways in which this book could benefit from some growing up, and it was just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for gifting me with an audio ARC to review. Better luck next time!

I enjoyed the best friend dynamic between Sam and Carter, but their love for each other as more than friends was obvious. The wedding sabotage was what I was truly here for because NO ONE deserves to be stuck with Chet/Chad forever.