As a whole this was pretty cute and I thought the chemistry between our main characters was great. I loved the radio scenes. However, I felt the ending was super rushed and I also wished the epilogue was just completely left off as it threw me out of the HEA and was honestly a little unnecessarily triggering. Other than that - a very easy read.

Oh my god this was such a sweet and cute read! I absolutely loved it! I enjoyed all the references and I fell in love with Sam. He was a great love interest and enjoyed his POV’s. He was kind, supportive, and put up with a lot. Honestly sometimes I just wanted to hug him. Also, this book is full of rom-com vibes so that made it even better. The characters, the plot and the dynamics were interesting and relatable.

I have never read a rom com that was set in the 80’s, so for that alone I really enjoyed it. I did find it to be a little slow and there were a few errors, but nothing that bothered me too much! I absolutely loved Sam. He was so sweet and wholesome.

This entire premise of the “not nice” past that holds the entire tension of the book was just… kind of flat? I loved the characters, loved the setting, loved seeing their story progress.… but the “obstacle” keeping them apart kind of collapsed the story for me. Would love to see more of this author’s work!

So what happened here was that this was an instant read and I wanted something to start reading immediately but what I hadn’t banked on was the ‘new adult’ vibe. Way too much graphic sex for an old prude like me. It was in places engaging (The 80s references - music, and some fashion and film were really fun.) I liked Sam, Elle/Len/Eleanor I could take or leave.

I loved this book, I thought it was written very well. I loved the characters and the setting. The story was cute and I liked it. It was perfect to read by the pool laying in the scene.
I just reviewed The Not So Nice Girl by Skye McDonald. #TheNotSoNiceGirl #NetGalley
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This was a fun read! I liked that it was set in a different time period - it made seeing all of the details from the 80's really fun. I also love when the characters are so adamant they don't want a relationship and are just looking for a fun summer, but as the reader we just KNOW they'll fall in love. This was a quick cute read and I really enjoyed it.

First impressions:
I have read many a rom com, but The Not So Nice Girl was the first one I have read that was set in the 80s. This was already a breath of fresh air. I could go as far to say I wish there were more in the book that painted the story 80s. I loved the bond of music between Eleanor and Sam. Even more that the bond that Eleanore and her love interest had, the relationships between Eleanor, Monica, and Jennifer were so healthy and supportive — we love to see it!

About the book:
We have our Eleanor, our lead who arrives in Nashville where he brother lives. It appears she is running away from her old life -- we do get some cryptic hints along the way but I don't know if it was enough tension for me to understand what the big deal was.

We meet Sam who just gets out of a relationship. He's sweet, kind, thoughtful and is a breath of fresh air. Eleanor and Sam immediately hit it off, but Eleanor is still haunted by the demons from her past to give a relationship a short.

Critique:
Aside from the few spelling errors, The Not So Nice Girl had sooo much potential, but I needed more character development and background on the Elle's past so the readers could have a little more insight into Elle’s conflict and the tension it causes with herself and her relationships.

Such a fun, first read from Sky MacDonald. I look forward to more of her books in the future. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Small Town Girl Publishing for allowing me to read this eARC.I picked this book because it was not my usual go to genre and I am so happy I did. It was a quick and fun read for me.I love that it was sent in the 80's ( 1986 to be exact).This was my first book I have read from Skye McDonald.

Oh my heart

This book was everything
The romance and spice they had, the 3rd act conundrum. The perfect side characters and their stories, nana do I need to say more!!
Then then the epilogue got me crying, my heart hurt for Sam.

I’ll be buying a paperback of this when it comes out!!! And I love the cover art

Thanks to NetGalley, Small Town Girl Publishing, and Independent Book Publishers Association for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

Overall, this was a cute read. I loved all the 80s references (it does take place in 1986). I enjoyed the initial confusion over the MMC, and that the friends seemed to support each other. I didn’t connect with the MCs, though. That is probably more me and I suspect other won’t have the same difficulties.

I felt for Len when she referenced not having a place to call home. I adored that she had a goal of being a pastry chef. Most of all, I liked Sam. He was a great love interest and enjoyed his POV’s. He was kind, supportive, and put up with a lot.

I wasn’t a huge fan of part of the epilogue (TW: difficult birth) but maybe there is a planned sequel that will go further into those struggles.

This book spoke to my 80s obsessed soul. The record store, the music and movie references, the lack of modern technology - and of course, the fact that almost everyone is stoned all the time. This book was just fun, and I really appreciate that about it.

Sam is the most patient man and deserves some sort of award for all the nonsense he put up with throughout this book. I do understand Elle had some insecurities to work through, but I can't count the number of times I almost yelled 'JUST LOVE HIM, HE"S AMAZING' at my book. She was wildly stubborn all things considered. That being said, great job on the character development, I think everyone can relate to Elle on some level and it was nice to see her become more accepting of herself and her past.

My one and only complaint was the drama in the epilogue, I felt the story could have done without it but yay for an HEA.

So… I really freaking loved this book! I was captivated by the first couple of pages!

If you’re like me and still recovering from reading Every Summer After, then read this! It has Every Summer After vibes (even the MMC has the same name!) with an 80s twist!

It’s a quick but fantastic read and you can read it on @netgalley without having to request it from the publisher!