Member Reviews
An overall fairly decent read. I just can’t abide by all the lying Jess did to multiple people she supposedly cared about. Seemed shady and I wouldn’t want to date her. The wildlife park setting was cute but it would have been nice to read about more animal antics.
I've loved all of Nina's previous books, and this one was no exception! She manages to combine very serious subjects - in this case, disability and suddenly having caring responsibilities thrust upon you - with sweet romance.
Protagonist Jess is neither a cookie-cutter, perfect heroine, or a kooky, manic pixie dream girl; she feels like a real person, with real flaws. These lead to her occasionally making questionable choices and unwittingly making life harder for herself, but it's all driven by her underlying desire to take care of her brother and still be successful in her career. So many romcom heroines seem to be stubborn or unpredictable just for the sake of it (which makes me want to give them a good shake), but with everything that Jess is going through, her actions aren't just understandable, they're relatable. And she really changes and grows as a person during the course of the story, which makes the ending even more satisfying.
But Jess isn't the only well-rounded character. I loved Nick, the gruff zookeeper she falls for, whose actions completely fit with his backstory, and who can possibly resist a man who looks after baby bear cubs for a living anyway?! The secondary characters too were all distinct and original, and I particularly loved Seth and Gwen.
I now want to go and visit this wildlife park (shame it's fictional!), cuddle the baby sun bear and meet all the amazing people who work there. But failing that, I will have to settle for heartily recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a romcom with a bit more about it than just the usual will-they-won't-they.
A cute, heart-warming romance. This was pretty simple in terms of plot and but this is a sweet easy read with a cute set of characters and a nice romance which makes for a light-hearted fun read I would recommend.
Sadly, the book wasn't as good as I had expected it to be. It was a cute story, the beginning was gripping and I loved the characters. But it didn't get more thrilling and some of the following parts were kind of predictable. But it still wasn't a bad story - I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a nice story for in-between.
I loved this so much. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and it was just perfect and what I needed in a a romance. I was captivated til the end.
I just reviewed Just Like That by Nina Kaye. #JustLikeThat #NetGalley
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Jess is an event planner who seemingly has everything going her way when her brother, Seth, has a debilitating stroke. With her parents out of the country, she makes the decision to scale back at work to become a full time caregiver to her brother.
For the majority of the story, I felt for the main character and her circumstances. I do, however, feel like she had a victim mentality that made her a little less than desirable at some pivotal points of the story. The least desirable scene being her night out at the hotel.
I thought the animals, the setting at the park and the caregiving responsibilities gave the story a unique twist. I loved the community and family like atmosphere that the staff at the park gave to Jess when she needed it most.
Such a sweet story! I really enjoyed following the daily life and struggles at the East Lothian Wildlife Park, Rana has my heart forever and ever. I found the premise here really interesting, our MC works in an event management agency and is forced to re-evaluate her priorities when her brother suffers a stroke.
This book had a strong start, I really felt for Jess and her brother. And the tension at the beginning between Jess and Nick was intriguing, to say the least!
However, I found that this story could have used a bit better structuring. The story was in a lull at times, and then there was a time jump without much context or background. I found some sentence structures and ways of describing events a bit tense. What I'm trying to say, maybe with a bit more editing, both the story and the writing would have flowed better for my taste.
Thank you, NetGalley and Canelo Publishing for this ARC!
Nina Kaye has done it again with this captivating read!
Jess is an event manager. Not any old event manager but a brilliant one. She's heading places in her industry. People are trying to headhunt her.
Then a tragedy in her personal life means she has to scale back on her work, leaving her with some less than favourable minor events to organise, rather than the big glitzy ones she has been used to.
And to top it off, she gets to her new main client and has to deal with a grumpy grouch of a man, there too, who seems hell-bent on making her life a misery... or is he?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially as it had not only a build-up of romance and enemies to lovers but cute animals! And how could it not, since the majority of it is set in a wildlife reserve?
Jess is torn between wanting to be the best in her job and fulfilling family duties. I truly felt for her throughout.
Then you have Nick, the grouchy grouch head keeper at the reserve, with whom she has to work closely... Tensions simmer and are built up fantastically through Kaye's writing.
There is a very sensitive portrayal of learning how to live with a disability and how caring for someone suddenly incapacitated can take its toll on your life.
A fantastic read that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an ARC.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy. This book was a challenging read for me, not because I disliked it, but because it touched on a personal issue that I will explain shortly. The book is a romance novel with a strong female lead and a sweet but grumpy love interest. Jess is an event planner who loves her job and her life in Edinburgh. But everything changes when her brother has a sudden stroke and she has to move back to her hometown to take care of him. There she meets Nick, the head keeper of a small animal park that needs her help to raise funds. Nick is arrogant and rude, but he has a soft spot for Jess. This book was a roller coaster of emotions for me, as it reminded me of my own experience when my mom got sick and I had to change jobs to be with her. It brought back a lot of painful memories for me. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it wasn’t for that. Please be aware of the trigger warnings for this one1
Jess and Nick are just so endearing. Both with interesting backstories, and each growing on their own. This one is not just romance, but growing up. Developed supporting cast of characters, with believable backgrounds and relationships. Ms. Kaye did a fantastic job bringing this crew together, and I'm so happy to see where each of them end up.
An enjoyable, easy to read book that I will recommend to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.
I’m so disappointed. The premise was full of promises—and failed to deliver. I found Jess to be quite unnerving, judgmental, repetitive, and a bit childish. As for the tension between her and Nick, it’s nonexistent, poorly executed. It goes from ice-cold to oh-I’m-so-in-love-the-chemistry-is1unbelievable in a matter of one short sentence. There’s no building up, no heat summering under the surface. I seriously wanted to drop the book and be done with it after the first kiss and finishing it only left me cringing through the rest of it. I hate giving bad reviews. But this book is bad…
I enjoyed the book very much I couldn't put it down which led to me finishing it in one day.
Though I found some parts a bit cringey and could've been left out but that did not take away from the story which is a beautiful one at that.
I do have mixed feelings about Jess I love how selfless caring and intelligent she is, I also understand the struggles she was facing and that her decisions and mistakes were human that being said I simply feel that she's overly judgmental and although the hurt she caused was resolved but that came at a late part of the book it didn't leave much space for character growth (specifically on page).
Nick was a sweetheart although seen as grump by most but he's a soft and feeling person on the inside, and the fact he's that way to protect himself from being hurt again adds a sense of relatability to his character.
Overall I enjoyed the book and I would definitely recommend it to a friend, thank you Netgalley and Canelo for this arc.
Very solid 4 stars. I would recommend this if you like reading realistic conversations and reactions with grown adult characters. I felt like that aspect stood up to the “feel good” in the title. I also loved the cast of characters at the zoo and I felt that the rom com of the workplace there was so well written.
I really got the 5 star tingles with this one and I desperately wanted it to get there, but unfortunately there was a bit around 87% and a bit before that made the main character unlikeable which is honestly a rarity for me to feel. Based on the premise/blurb I thought the love interest would be actively helping with her brother’s recovery and without spoiling- some of that aspect went on a little long.
For anyone wondering this is closed door, low steam but I didn’t mind. Time jumps are also used quite a bit in this but I think they were well placed.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and canelo for this ARC.
It was a nice read, pleasant enough.
I didn't really feel the romance and Jess was way too quick to jump to hurtful and frankly superficial conclusions.
She made assumptions about Nick, who might have been a bit abrasive, but didn't deserve how much she just continuously jumped at his throat.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Good book
It was one of those books who are truly pink. It remmembers me to the movie we bought a zoo.
It was a story with many events to overcome. I liked the main character a lot, she is a very strong, independent woman who knows what she wants.
For me the story was a bit slow at first and it was a bit predictable but it's a good book for a weekend.
I found this story an addictive read with lots of feelgood characters, relatable life dilemmas and of course cute animals.
I particularly felt the depictions of caring for a loved one whilst juggling a career and a private life was written so well and I hope highlights the hugely important, and often invisible, value of carers. It equally shines a light on part time/flexible working being such a necessary part of creating a society that supports disability equality and what a loss to the workforce carers are when their hands are tied and they are forced out of inflexible workplaces/positions.
Nick was the perfect brooding love interest and I adored Seth and so many of the characters.
This is a charming closed door romance set in Scotland with developing sparks between Jess, an ambitious Edinburgh-based event planner, and Nick, a reclusive head keeper in a struggling wildlife park. Jess has family responsibilities with her brother Seth and Nick also has baggage. I loved the setting and all the side characters, especially Seth and the staff in the wildlife park. I'd have liked more chemistry between Nick and Jess, Nick in particular felt a bit undeveloped. Jess was also a bit hard to like with her focus on work and money, and she made so many assumptions about everyone and everything. All in all though this is a satisfying romance in a great setting.
Thanks so much to NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.
ARC REVIEW: SMILES ALL AROUND!
This book is a heartwarming read that easily puts a smile on the reader's face when reading it. Kaye has created a book full of strength, optimism, trust & determination. The main character, Jess, is right on track with her life and career as an events planner however her entire world turns upside down after her brother has a stroke. Jess is determined to make everything work out. Being assigned to a project for a Wildlife Park she puts everything she has into each day. Still, Jess struggles with her two sided life - protecting her brother after his stroke - and doing her job (plus falling in love) without allowing her personal life to spill into her work. Along the way, Jess has to spend a great deal of time working with a very grumpy Nick. Nick introduces Jess to the most adorable Sun Bear & there is the topic of conservation weaved throughout the story. Nick has issues with trust, Jess is afraid she abused his trust & eventually it all culminates to the point where she is forced to find a way to be happy in her life, in her career & in herself. make sure to read this book - it will definately lift your spirits and put a smile on your face.
Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!