I absolutely loved this book. The way the character development continued to evolve throughout the story was perfect! Once I started reading this book I literally could not put it down (I tried i really did). I can't wait till I can read more from this author

What a great book!
An enjoyable read I would recommend to anyone who likes contemporary fiction, a fun, vivid and immersive novel.

First off I love SEP, and was so excited that I got an ARC for the next Chicago Stars series. I really started reading again when I picked up the first book the series. Her characters are always amazing and she really pioneered the genre so well. I love the twist of her latest books, not just having pure romance but other plot points also. Rory and Brett meet in an unconventional way, which leads them into an unexpected journey looking for her half brother and his client who may or not murdered his girlfriend. As always, the story was amazing and I will read any SEP available. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rory is a hot mess walking under a perennial black cloud. Brett, on the other hand, is a shining star whose touch seems to turn everything to gold. Except for when he accidentally advised one of his star players on his personal life (something he never does!) and it was taken very much the wrong way. If that was not enough to dim Brett's shine, then he also accidentally slept with said star player's half sister and mistook her for a high end prostitute. In an effort to keep his job and reputation, Brett realizes he has to apologize and get Rory on his side long enough to fix things. The more time they spend together makes it harder for him to stop thinking about her. As irritating as he is, she can't stop thinking about him.

This is the first Susan Elizabeth Phillips book I've read, but it will not be the last! Very amusing and sweet beach read. I loved the story and the characterization. The characters kept this book from being formulaic and predictable, but somehow managed to retain that relaxed, reading-simply-for-pleasure vibe. I wish the cover were more appealing - it feels dated to me and I feel like it doesn't stand enough to catch an eye on bookshelf when the story inside it should have that advantage.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has done it again!! I've said it before and I will say it again, I will read whatever she writes.

The Chicago Star will FOREVER be one of my favorite series. Rory is absolutely the best. She loves chocolate and protects those who she loves. When her brother goes missing, she has to begrudgingly team up with his agent Brett to find him. Everything and anything happens to Rory and Brett. You will LAUGH, cry, and absolutely cheer them on.

Pick this up. Better yet, start at the beginning with It Had to be You. You won't regret it.

A new installment of Chicago Stars, yes please!!! SEP is the grand dame of sports romance for a reason. Lots of great banter, mistaken identity, crazy family dynamics. A fun read!

Brett Rivers is a sports agent and Rory Meadows, the sister of one of his clients, act like they don't care for each other. Except there is the night of her brother's birthday party. It's hilarious laughter as they throw darts at each other. Her dream is to be a successful chocolatier, but she doesn't have any money. She has a plan with her stepmother of all people. Meanwhile, her brother's girlfriend ends up murdered and he's the prime suspect. Rory doesn't believe it and sets out to prove his innocence. It's one false lead after another and Bret's not going to let her do it alone. Rory has one smart mouth that will keep you in stitches. Verbal foreplay and descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

It's been a while since seen the last Chicago Stars book. This one has the usual SEP humorous banter, endearing characters, but also a murder mystery and my favorite part, lots of chocolate.

Rory was only five years old when her mother died. Her father quickly remarried, not because of love, but carelessness. Twenty one year old Kristin was madly involve with him, but the feeling was not mutual. However when he found out she was pregnant he said he would marry her and both were very happy with their baby boy, Clint. Clint was everything Rory was not, excelling her in school and sports, so she soon gave up. She has dreamed of a career as a chocolatier, apprenticing under many top chocolatier until she has become the best. But her business skills have not supported her talent and she is now in debt with a large tax bill on a broken down food truck that she had bought together wit her thieving partner. Clint is a superstar on the Chicago Stars and even though they aren't close, he asked her to go with him to a party, mostly because he has dumped by Ashley, the women he was going to marry, Rory's neighbor. There, a bit drunk, Rory does something she never does, hooks up with a man. Brett Rivers, sports agent, thought she was a hooker, not the half sister of his client. And so the comedy of errors begins. And then Rory and Brett, both looking for Clint at his house, find Ashley there instead- dead. The police think that Clint did it, but Rory doesn't believe it for a minute and is going to find the real murderer- with or without Brett's help.

Rory is such an endearing character, that you can't help root for her. A HEA, the murderer revealed and estranged family members bond make this an enjoyable book. But the best thing of all is the information about the creation of chocolate confectionery, the equipment, and all the process.

I read an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased, honest and voluntary review.

Been looking forward to the next book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She did not disappoint with this book. Loved getting to follow Bret and Rory in their romance. Look forward to the next one in this series! Great book and absolutely recommend!

I wanted to love this book because I usually love all of SEP's books. However, this book was a miss for me. The premise was sound, but the story bounced all over the place. Rory is a quirky somewhat likeable character, but Brett was not likeable at all.

Brett is a sports agent and his top client is very upset with him. Enter Rory, sister of client. Rory's brother is accused of murder and somehow Brett and Rory have to save the day.

A great addition to the Chicago Stars series and it delivers a delightful blend of romance, humor and mystery.
It is a must read for Rom Com lovers.
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Simply The Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a sports romance

Rory is the older sister of Clint, an NFL football player, and a failing owner of a food truck that serves specialty chocolate. When she goes to a party she has a one night stand with a man at the party, discovering he left money on the end table thinking she’s a paid escort. When she comes downstairs she discovers her mystery man happens to be Brett, her brother’s manager.
Brett normally doesn’t hook up with escorts, but this one is super hot. When he discovers he really messed up, he fears Rory will spill the beans.
When Rory’s neighbor turns up dead at Clint’s home, Clint becomes suspect number one. Why is she there? Because Ashley was looking for a rich husband, and when she decides she wants him back, she runs to his house, which costs her the ultimate price, her life.
Not believing her brother could do such a horrible crime, Rory starts to investigate on her own.

What I disliked was the generalizations and assumptions about the group of people at the junkyard they run into on the way to the cabin. Rory goes on a tangent calling them names and degrading them for their looks and intelligence. Then later she brings chocolate to hope to bribe these uneducated rednecks into helping them remove the tree blocking the driveway. I hate the way authors stereotype people, making one group out to be a dangerous monster while breezing over the negative and destructive comments that are made. About them.

While I liked the story I felt that more actual police work should have been implemented in the search for Ashley’s killer. The police chose a suspect and didn’t bother to investigate anyone else.

Their relationship was a very slow burn, often not seeing any heat at all. The romance was ok. I preferred the as a couple during the last 15% of the book. I also liked the way Rory and Kristen makeup.

This was a great enemies-to-lovers romance with some family drama thrown in. There was also a murder mystery that felt a little forced, but overall this was a good read.

Susan Elizabeth Philips is one of my favorites, and Simply the Best was so much fun. I think it's been a decade since i've read one of her books, but I was completely sucked in within the first chapter!

Sarah Elizabeth Phillips and her Chicago Stars series has always been one of my favorite contemporary romance series. Each book is a standalone but with guest appearances in other books.

This book was for Rory, a down-on-her luck chocolatier and Brett, a sports agent to Rory’s NFL brother, Clint. After a one night stand, Rory and Brett start a messy friendship to help clear Clint’s name in a murder. Brett finds himself falling for Rory, who is stubborn and judgmental. I didn’t see their chemistry until about halfway into the book.

I expected to like this as much as the other Stars’ books but it felt flatter than the others. I wanted to read more of the family dynamic between Rory and Clint. I enjoyed the character arc of Rory after she got over herself. But it’s SEP and I look forward to another of her books.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this eARC. Simply the Best is out now.

This story follows a not-so-successful chocolatier and a sports agent who stumble into a world where there’s a possibility a football player killed a woman. I have read the previous book in this series but I have to say that I was a but disappointed with this book. I love sports romance so I was excited to see how this story plays out but there’s not much sport-related content. The storyline concept was great but I wasn’t promised that the way I was expecting. The story was chaotic and too many things were happening at the same time. This book was a mix of so many genres that it was a bit too much that it didn’t make sense. This book was told from multiple povs but sometimes I was confused about who’s pov I was at with the way the story was written and sometimes I was confused why that person’s pov showed up.

Rory is the FMC of this book who’s not doing so well with her career and her brother could have possibly killed a woman. Then there is Brett who is an agent and had a one-night stand with Rory. At first, I was enjoying their character but then their chemistry started to burn out a bit. There stories disappeared and it was like the book became a mystery instead of a contemporary romance. There were side characters in this book but I didn’t care for them and didn’t enjoy their pov when it in the story. The romance is enemies to lovers and slow burn but I couldn’t feel the chemistry between the characters anymore.

The ending was okay but I didn’t truly care for it anymore. It was just that the story died once I stopped comprehending what was happening with the book. I had high expectations of this one, especially after reading the previous book which I enjoyed very much. This one just wasn’t it for me but I know some will enjoy it.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

What a great book! My first read by #1 New York Times Best Seller ,SEP ( Susan Elizabeth Phillips) and it fully entertained me. Mystery, love, football sports agent, and chocolate, it had it ALL! The next book in the Chicago Stars series but I read it as a stand alone and it was great!

Quirky Rory Garrett who fit the part of the once failed chocolatier led this novel with her zany dress, passion for chocolate, disastrous complex but yet would always speak her mind! Football star half-brother, Clint and his intense sports agent, Brett, play two major different rolls in Simply the Best but find their way into Rory’s heart. Brett, a mistake, a one nighter on accident has him balancing between client manager privilege and loyalty. A dead body, mysterious behaviors and Rory’s determined mindset take this novel to the next level. Mixed with family, new relationships and the transformation of them adds closure to this otherwise open ended flirty read!

Easy to read
Engaging
Character driven
Creative
Original

An enjoyable read I would recommend to anyone who likes contemporary fiction, a fun, vivid and immersive novel.
Thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

Rory and Brett have a one night stand not realizing that Rory is the sister of Brett’s client, Clint. Rory and Brett both end up at Clint’s house looking for him for different reasons, and while there they find Clint’s ex girlfriend, Ashley, murdered. Rory and Brett work together to find out what happened and clear Clint’s name and start to fall for each other in the process.
I really enjoyed the romance slash mystery combo of this story. I would say that it was a romance first and mystery second. The push and pull between Rory and Brett was fun to read and the side story dealing with Rory’s stepmom’s love life was a sweet addition. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics between Rory, Clint and Kristin and how each of their relationships developed as they opened up to one another and shared more about their lives. The ‘who dunnit’ aspect of the story kept the plot moving forward and the twist was a total surprise. And of course like any good romance it had a perfectly tied together HEA.

Hands down the best romance comdey writer. You will laugh. You will cry. I look forward to Phillips books.

Rory attends a party with her football star brother and ends up having a one night stand with his sports agent. Clint, the brother is accused of murder and Rory his agent work together to try and find out who actually committed the murder. Rory is also working through her issues with her stepmother. His book was funny in spots and had interesting characters. I really enjoyed this book.