When Eleanor Field meets Sam Greene, any plans that she has to have a drama-free summer disappears. Despite their instant attraction, Sam has just graduated and is newly single and doesn’t want anything serious, and neither does Eleanor. Yet, as they spend time together, their connection deepens to more than just a shared love of music.
Set in 1986, this book did transport me back to a time of some great music and refreshed my memories of mixtapes! There was plenty of chemistry between the characters, whose attraction was fairly instantaneous. It was a bit rushed at the end with an epilogue that didn’t quite gel with the story and its mood. Otherwise, a good read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Not a nice girl. A woman. The kind who's a little bit of everything. When you really get to know her. Damn, that does sound perfect."

I really struggled with this one. The idea of friends to lovers and set in the 80's was right up my street. I couldn't get into the story. I liked Sam, but not so keen on Eleanor. But this could be just more me. I felt the ending was quite rushed and I'm not sure the epilogue was needed. It was true to life as it does happen. But I felt it takes away from the HEA of Sam and Eleanor.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

**Edit**
I got send a free PDF of a new epilogue by Skye that will now be going into the book. I enjoyed the new epilogue that will be going into the book a lot more. It showed Eleanor going through a complicated birth but didn't go to dark or triggering that can affect some readers. But it felt like Eleanor and Sam got a more HEA.

I did not finish and I’m so sorry my home life has been horrible so I wasn’t able to finish any of the books that I was reviewing but from what I read I loved it

Eleanor “Len/Elle” Field and Sam Greene have a meet-steamy in a record store in 1986 Nashville. Len has just returned from two years with the Peace Corps and wants a drama and boy free summer. Sam just broke up with the girl he thought he’d marry, and at 23 is ready to be single for once. When Len and Sam realize they’re in the same friend group, they decide to set their chemistry aside and be friends too. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

The 80s vibes in this are just perfection and so much fun. All of the music references really took this 80s baby back in time. I loved all of the different band and movie references, though admittedly I’m partial to the The Breakfast Club reference because I am Team Judd/Bender all the way. The romance was very “can’t keep our hands off each other” right from the start, and it was pretty obvious that attempts to be just friends would fail. I was definitely rooting for Sam to get the girl of his dreams, and I thought the ending was a really sweet way of honoring who both Elle and Sam were when they met.

Read this if you love: ⚡️ the 80s 🔥 open door romance with instant physical chemistry 🍳 The Breakfast Club 🤘80s music ✨ sequins and sparkle and big hair 🤓 good guy/not so nice girl dynamics 🦄 a wild child baker who can never sit still for long heroine 🐴 a steadfast nice guy DJ/record store aficionado/chemist hero

There are a few trigger warnings including sexist/misogynistic language, physical violence, and abortion. Feel free to message for context & questions.

3.5 stars

I love that this book was set in the 1980s and I was really looking forward to reading it. I liked Sam, the male main character. He is 23 years old and has just gotten out of a relationship with his long time on again/off again girlfriend. He's not too broken up over it, though.

Eleanor (AKA Len or Elle, which was weird for me) is in town for the summer to visit her friend. She has no plans to stay around as she is in a contest to win an internship in NYC and learn from some of the top pastry chefs.

Sam and Eleanor meet in a record shop and there is a bit of insta lust for them. Hey, it's the 80s. I did enjoy their romance and learning more about Eleanor's background. She comes off very tough, but she is very dedicated to those she loves, like her brother. I didn't really understand why they felt the need to keep their relationship a secret from their friends.

I enjoyed the story up until the epilogue where it took a much darker tone. It didn't fit the vibe of the story at all. It was supposed to be a happily ever after ending, and it was, but it was touch and go there for a while. Too dark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was immediately drawn to the fact this rom-com is set in the 80s! It’s cute, it’s funny, and it is just spicy enough.

The beginning of this book is painfully slow but after about 40% things tend to move more quickly.

I do hope this isn’t the final cover. The illustration is cute and eye catching but the fonts used almost cheapen it for me.

Thanks to Small Town Girl Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Eleanor Fields returns to Nashville after time spent in Peru, hoping to spend the summer hanging out with friends, no drama and no boys. That all changes when she meets Sam Greene in a record store shortly after her return. Fresh off a breakup from someone he thought he was going to marry, Sam is surprised when he meets the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and she wants to be just friends.

This book was so cute and gave me all the rom-com feels. The characters were interesting and felt like people I really wanted to be friends with. It hit me right in the feels and was unexpected. There were only two things I did not like: I felt there were quite a few spelling and grammar mistakes that distracted from the writing. The other thing is the emotional rollercoaster this book took me on but the end was just ho-hum. Overall, I really enjoyed.

Update: changed to 5 stars because the author listened to reviews and changed the ending. This one was way less traumatic than the last one and was more of a sweet ending.

➳ arc rating: 4.5 ★

First of all, I want to thank the author, Small Town Girl Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Not So Nice Girl by Skye McDonald will be coming out on May 30th, 2023.

Skye McDonald is a contemporary romance author who wrote the Anti-Belle Series, her debut novels, in 2019. She also co-writes romance novels with author Sarah Smith publishing them as Sarah Skye.

What is the book about?
In the summer of 1986, Eleanor Field (FMC) is determined to have a drama-free summer in Nashville, focusing on avoiding dating. However, everything changes when she walks into a local record shop and encounters Sam Greene (MMC) behind the counter.

Sam, recently graduated and newly single, is enjoying his freedom and wants a carefree summer without any relationship complications. But when Eleanor enters the record shop, their connection sparks and things quickly become complicated.

What starts as a playful encounter in a listening booth soon becomes a challenging situation. Despite the undeniable chemistry between them, neither Eleanor nor Sam wants to risk starting something they can't finish. However, as their friendship deepens, they begin to question whether they are willing to take a leap into love.

Amidst the backdrop of 1980s nostalgia, this friends-to-lovers romance explores the complexities of friendship, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

Tropes and themes:

• Friends to lovers
• Insta-love
• Spicy

My review:
The Not So Nice Girl by Skye McDonald is a cute, funny and sweet romance novel with steamy parts and it will make you love all its characters.

I really enjoyed reading Elle’s character development from not wanting any boy drama to madly falling in love with Sam!

Things apart, I loved Brian’s character so much, he was hilarious all the time!

The last chapter gives the book a perfect ending, I think the epilogue wasn’t really needed —I didn’t see Elle wanting kids in a short period of time. It threw off a completely different vibe from the book.

But, overall, I liked this rom-com a lot and I really recommend it.

Edit: [Thanks to the author for sending me a free PDF with the new epilogue that will be making the cut for the final version of the book, I appreciate it.] This new ending was a lot better, it still describes Elle having a complicated birth but without making it triggering for some readers and it doesn’t send the novel to a darker theme.

My favourite quotes:
“All I can promise is that when I say I love you, I mean that you completely hold my heart in your hands.“</i>

Who I recommend this book to?
• Everyone!

#TheNotSoNiceGirl #NetGalley

To say I love this book is an understatement. This story was addictive, incredible, and beautifully written. I'm an 80s baby and loved being able to go back into time. Ellie and Sam are perfection. Ellie had a past that is hard to overcome, but she does, and she does whatever she can to find her place... home. Sam makes her do things she never thought she'd do, considering she is trying to have a drama free summer with no boys. He makes her feel like she's never felt before, and she can't help but be drawn to him.

Sam is Ah-mazing in every sense of the word. I wish there were more Sam's in the world.

This was a cute romcom with some steamy parts and I enjoyed it.

I liked the 1986 era since I was born in 89. It was sort of nostalgic.

I enjoyed the friends to lovers, insta love, even though Elle was swearing off men and then decided to fall in love with Sam.

Brian was hilarious and I enjoyed him as a side character.

Overall this was a great romcom with nostalgic vibes for us 80s babies.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spoiler Free Review

Finished reading 28 April - 19 May 2023

Less than 5-word critique: fun, romantic, compelling, adorable, and surprising

I'm so glad I found this cute story. And it is such a bonus that it's set in the 80s.

The novel takes place in the summer of 1986 and follows Sam and Eleanor, two people in their 20's who are immediately attracted to each other when they meet in a record store but decide to be friends. As the story progresses, their relationship is explored as they deal with their own fears and insecurities, mutual circle of friends, their love for music, their pasts, and what they want out of life...as well as giving love a chance.

McDonald's writing is done beautifully and filled with good rom-com essence.
The characters are well-developed and fun.

Recommended to those who enjoy:
*Friends to lovers
*80s era
*Entertaining side characters
*Movie/music/pop culture references
*A couple to root for
*80s music soundtrack

Thank you so much NetGalley, Small Town Girl Publishing, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and Members' Titles for a copy. I really appreciate it.

Skye McDonald has the talent for creating smart, sexy romances with characters that I wish were my friends. 'The Not So Nice Girl' is no exception.

When Sam walks into his local record shop, he never expects to walk out with a happy ending, after meeting Eleanor (Elle). Elle is flighty with a carapace on her heart, having escaped her starched Southern upper class upbringing to join the Peacecorps.

Set in the glorious 80s, this book tackles abortion (with zero guilt, judgement and slut shaming, which is so refreshing in romance), the narrow and rigid roles of womanhood, and finding your tribe.

This book is actually a prequel to McDonald's Anti-Belle series, featuring Sam and Elle's daughter Celeste (Not Suitable for Work), and Alex and Jennifer's son Nick (Off the Record). After I finished this book I re-read Celeste's story and there were so many callbacks beautifully done in Sam and Elle's story (Elle tells Celeste 'Someday soon ... I'll tell you everything')

I love reading female characters who aren't all sunshine. As we learn more about Elle's past you could see why she be standoffish with Sam, the ultimate cinnamon roll. Yet she's got so much heart, fiercely loyal to her friends and brother, and a determination to change herself. It's with her growing bond with Sam that you see her finally able to kick her final 'blocks' which stop her from being

By the end my heart was in my mouth with tears about to form. While I knew it would end perfectly fine (after all this is a romance AND a prequel) I was still put through the wringer. Its a bold choice for McDonald, but she pulls it off with aplomb, and the book is all the more better for it. Life, after all, is full of ups and downs.

Read this book, then go read the Anti-Belle series to see these characters as adults. If you like your romances full of well-rounded characters that feel like real people, explosive chemistry, and progressive in tackling issues, Skye McDonald should be added to your auto-buy list.

I received an ARC for this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


I loved that this book was set during the 1980s in Nashville! It definitely had the 80s vibe going with all the descriptions of their clothing, hairstyles, and of course the music. The book starts with Eleanor arriving in Nashville after spending some time in the peace corps. She's staying with her best friend Monica and her roommate Jennifer. I loved their friendship! I would love to read more about Monica since we got to see Jennifers story unfold in this book. (Without any spoilers on that, Jennifer gets her HEA.) Sam and his twin brother are both friends with Monicas boyfriend. One drunken night (after being dump by his long term gf) Sam stumbles upon Eleanor sleeping on Monicas couch and he's instantly intrigued. He doesn't know who she is or where she came from and he never asks. Its not until they run into each other at a record store (absolutely loved Mac such an awesome side character! he reminded me of Leo from thats 70 show lol) that they come face to face and thats where it starts to get HOT IN HERE! That booth scene set the pace for how Sam and Eleanors relationship begins to unfold. Sam is a saint, literally I loved his inner monologues about how crazy she made him! I was rooting for him from the start because you can automatically tell that Eleanor is a flight risk, literally she refuses to call any place HOME. But sweet Sam doesn't give up on her! Can we talk about those "radio scenes" they were the absolute best! I found myself youtubing the songs so I can listen to them as I read the book, it definitely set the mood. Those scenes made me actually like Eleanor because she finally starting letting her guard down. We see them fall in love and try to navigate keeping their relationship a secret while also wondering what will happen once she leaves for an internship in NY. As per any good rom com we do get a curveball toward the end of the book that really tests Sams and Eleanors love. I do like that Sam waited for Eleanor to realize all on her own what she truly wanted and was to afraid to admit to herself.

Towards the end of the book we do find out why Eleanor is so defensive and flighty and she has a valid reason. I loved Eleanors dad and was repulsed by her mom to be honest. Absolutely loved Sams nana and she should be protected at all costs.

One thing that bugged me - why couldn't they just tell everyone about their relationship? it honestly didn't make sense to me. They have the best group of friends anyone could ask for but she didn't want to ruin the dynamic? OK

This book has the spice, the drama, the love, the friendship, the 80s vibe, and it such a face paced easy read that I would definitely recommend it if you love a good rom-com.

The epilogue seemed to be a hit or miss with some fellow readers from the reviews I've read but I loved it. Honestly life is so unexpected that something like that can definitely happen. I myself had an extremely similar experience with my last pregnancy and it hit close to home for me so I loved reading Eleanor coming out of it with a smile on her face and a happily ever after.

*trigger warning* -mentions of abortion-

Overall, I would say that I enjoyed the book. The beginning was slow for me tho, and I hated the whole “we can’t b more than friends” thing. Towards the middle tho, i became more invested and really started to care what happened. This is something I would recommend, but only if you can deal w the first 40% of the book being boring.

Set in the 80s, this story is different to anything I've ever read.

It was quite well-paced, and full of emotions. The banter between the characters however, was something I preferred over the romance aspect of this novel. I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters, despite this being a friends to lovers novel. I did like Eleanor, and the fact that she was a flawed character.

Some scene were too graphic, and this is definitely for a new adult or upper YA audience. I would recommend this if you want to read something unique and it's a quick read!

This was a sweet story, the premise was absolutely up my alley but it was a bit slow at times and ended up not loving it as much as I wanted to, which hurts so bad because I LOVE Skye's previous books. I would still recommend it, as I think it was a "me" problem and not the book.

I was initially drawn to this book because of its 80s theme and eye-catching cover. The author did an excellent job of creating an authentic atmosphere that effectively evokes the nostalgia of that era. I particularly enjoyed the incorporation of songs that added to the overall ambiance.

The main characters, Sam and Eleanor (Len or Elle), were well-developed and interesting. Sam was a particularly strong male lead who was easy to root for, while Eleanor's inner turmoil and self-doubt made her relatable. I was invested in the romance from the start and rooting for these two characters to get together. The author successfully built up the tension and angst, which made their eventual reunion all the more satisfying.

However, the epilogue felt out of place and was tonally inconsistent with the rest of the book. It dealt with serious and triggering issues that detracted from the joyful and romantic feelings that the end of the book had built up. If I had known that the epilogue would take such a sudden turn, I found myself skipping through it a bit as it was a difficult read

Overall, this is a solid story with plenty of nostalgia and romance. However, the jarring shift in tone in the epilogue left me feeling conflicted about the book as a whole.

It's the summer of 1986 in Nashville, TN. Eleanor "Len" Field has just arrived in town after two years in Peru with the Peace Corps. She wants nothing more from the summer than to regroup, spend some time with her best friend Monica and brother Alex, and work on getting into a prestigious culinary internship program in NYC that will start in the Fall. Sam Greene isn't sure what's next for him, after graduating and breaking up with his long-time girlfriend. He'll start graduate school in the fall, and will otherwise enjoy a summer filled with great music, boating, and fun times with friends. But neither of them expected the other to disrupt their plans.


What I liked:
- great friend group and other supporting characters, in particular Monica and Jennifer, Alex, and Sam's Nana.
- the tension between Eleanor and her mom/family/life back home felt so real and authentic. When the underlying reason was revealed, it all made sense.
- lots of great music woven throughout
- The pacing. The story is supposed to be about a summer romance and that's absolutely what we got - it was spicy enough, intense enough, all within the confines of a summer romance that takes on new dimensions.
- Loved seeing the group's activities throughout the summer - boating, watching cartoons, dinner parties, etc. So fun and cute.
- Sam showed a great deal of maturity the weekend that Eleanor's dad got sick, He was really rock-solid and whether Eleanor liked it or not that's what she needed in the moment.


What I didn't:
- I couldn't really root that hard for either Eleanor or Sam. They're both upper middle class white kids in the 80s with plenty of choices and support. If the stakes had been higher for one or both of them that probably would have made them a bit more empathetic. My take was that, they're in their early 20s, if this doesn't work out that's part of each of their life's journeys. <shrug emoji here>
- the hints of Jennifer's body dysmorphia/eating disorder were enough to be noticeable and a bit distracting but not enough to be resolved in the story.
- I wasn't totally clear on why they felt they needed to keep their relationship a secret from their friend group.
- The epilogue - it jumped way too far in the future, some parts didn't make sense, and the difficult birth scene was too much for the sweet story. Like ending a light meal with a milkshake - just didn't work. Did Sam just give up his career to be with her? It was unclear what happened to his educational and career plans.

After around chapter 5, the story was more enjoyable.. Prior to that, there are quite a few grammatical and spelling errors through the first few chapters, making the story a little confusing and difficult to follow at times. It seemed unnecessary that the main character had so many nicknames( seriously though, I didn’t know someone could have so many nicknames) . She was also all over the place emotionally, I found myself not rooting for her.

That being said, I loved Sam and his POV, he had me rooting for their relationship. The epilogue seemed unnecessary as well; there was no added value. If anything even more trauma.
Overall, it was a cute story with decent drama

this was a fun, dramatic, quick read! I felt like this book was a spicy romcom roller coaster right till the very end. Sam was a sweetheart and someone I was rooting for right from the start, and Eleanor was a sassy and fun character who kinda stood in her own way sometimes (don’t we all, really)— but she learns to accept the love and happiness she doesn’t think she deserves with Sam they both want.
I had mixed feeling with the epilogue— usually I prefer straight fluffy, no drama epilogues to finish my HEA romcoms, but the realistic way this story finishes—even happily ever afters have deep, serious moments that are full of happiness, sadness and many emotions in between— shows that regardless of the hardships of life, the loves we choose will still be there for us
Thank you for the ARC!!!