I have loved every single one of these and this didn’t disappoint. Susan’s one of my favorite authors, the way they write is just freaking wonderful! I cannot get enough

A crazy and very fun story about a football player accused of murder, his sister determined to prove his innocence while sparring with his agent, a strained relationship with her step-mother who finds companionship who she meets in a coffee shop, and a whole slew of suspects. Lots of fun verbal sparring and a very enjoyable book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book managed to hook me right from the very beginning and there was no going back from there. I ended up reading about 80% of the novel before I figured it'd be a good idea to get some sleep, and as soon as I woke up, I dove right back in. This is all to say that I genuinely enjoyed the book, the characters, and the journey that Susan Elizabeth Phillips sends the reader on.

This was an Enemies-to-Lovers/Opposites-Attracts novel, and Rory and Brett were perfect for those tropes. They were so fundamentally different, but you could clearly see that the more time they spent together arguing and working towards a common goal, the more they were discovering how well they actually got a long. While you can't have a good enemies-to-lovers trope without some good banter and arguing, it was interesting how the insults they tossed at each other were like little mirrors reflecting habits/characteristics the other person could work on. Rory didn't shy from telling Brett how his work and clients defined his life to a point where he had nothing else, and Brett slowly started making Rory second-guess and acknowledge the harsh way she perceived and reacted to things (especially when it came to her stepmother and brother).

Once they started to see their lives in a different perspective, they both actively decided to work on themselves and really make strives to be better for themselves as well as each other. I was always rooting for them to be together, but by the end of the novel, I was also really rooting for them to come to place where they were happy with who they were and the relationships they had around them. Luckily, Susan Elizabeth Phillips did not disappoint, and she gave her characters a wonderful character arc before letting them find their HEA.

I also have to point out that I loved Kristin's plot in the novel as well. I really came to feel for her as a young stepmother once her perspective and feelings were shown, and it was nice to see her take accountability for the mistakes she made while raising Clint and Rory (even if they were understandable at the time). No parent is perfect, so it was nice to get her side of things to kind of highlight that fact. It felt rewarding by the time the end came and the Garrett family had come to a place where they could openly love and depend on each other.

Simply the Best was a wonderful read that had multifaceted characters that go through enjoyable character developments. I’ll be looking forward to future books in this series, and I’ll also cross my fingers we eventually get one for Clint.

I've been reading and loving books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips for over 20 years. Her sense of humor always makes me laugh out loud and I find her characters and their romances swoon worthy. Brett and Rory were everything I hoped they would be.

This is the tenth book in the Chicago Stars world, and it can be read as a stand-alone. Honestly, once I've read a book, I don't always remember it (I can't be alone in this) and this made me want to go back and reread some of the earlier books from the series, but I certainly didn't feel that as a lack in reading this one.

Rory is down on her luck. She's an amazing chocolatier but has yet to find a market for her wares in Chicago. Her brother is the star quarterback of the Chicago Stars but they aren't close (family!). He did ask her to his birthday party and she felt obligated to go. Where she was miserable, felt out of place, drank a little too much and might have had a one night stand. She didn't know if was with her brother's agent and that they would have to work together to solve a mystery.

This was told from both Rory and Brett's perspectives, and I loved their inner monologues. There was lots of fun, over the top action, a good romance, some family drama and healing, and excellent chocolate (I wish I could order some!). There was also lots of Chicago scenery which I adored since I grew up there.

Thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a master of writing Romances about women who are backed into a corner on their bumpy journey to happiness. Her heroes, on the other hand, are usually powerful, successful, workaholics who think they are already at the top and need to be brought down a peg or twenty.

When I open up a Phillips book I know I’m going to reach the end having laughed and teared up a bit reading these characters fall starry eyed silly and stupid over their soulmates.

“Simply the Best” delivers on that specific vibe in such a satisfying way, but also includes, perhaps, MURDER? (Cue the creepy cello intro music from 48 Hours). This light suspense turn makes me wish Susan Elizabeth Phillips would try her hand at a full-on romantic mystery series.

When last we left the Chicago Stars universe, Thad Owens was reaching the end of his run as QB and was playing backup to Clint Garrett, a young hot shot. If this was a regular contemporary writer we’d expect Clint to be the hero of the next book, but Phillips yet again subverts series expectations. Clint Garrett has fallen in love, alright, but this is not his happily ever after.

Instead, we meet Rory Garrett, Clint’s sister, and Brett Rivers, Clint’s agent, on the night they first collide at a party. Rory is reeling from a betrayal in business that’s left her on the skids and emotionally raw. Brett is also fighting through his first, and only, misstep in business. They have instant chemistry and drunkenly hookup, not realizing they are going to be forced back together in a most inconvenient of ways.

Rory and Brett have both made mistakes with Clint recently, criticizing the women he planned to marry for her ulterior motives. When that woman is discovered dead at Clint’s mansion, and the golden boy QB is also missing, the heat turns up on the duo to prove a man innocent while denying their obvious hots for each other.

A past favorite in the Chicago Stars series is “Match Me If You Can”, where a top sports agent, Heath Champion, is turned inside out by a quirky and delightful matchmaker, Annabelle Granger. In “Simply the Best” we get to peek back in on Heath and Annabelle, with Brett vying to take over the top spot at Heath’s sports agency and impress his powerbroker boss. There’s always a temptation to make former characters these overly perfect beings in subsequent books, with the power of their One True Love acting as personality remover.

Phillips doesn’t fall into those traps though. Heath Champion is still the hard-charging man he was then, but also has a fierce love and loyalty to his wife and children. So when we see Brett Rivers make a few of the same mistakes, Heath doesn’t let his employee/friend off easy. If anything, he pushes Brett to get bonked over the head by life just as hard.

Rory also has much in common with Annabelle, woman who aren’t the bubble-brained goddesses their big shot love interests are used to being seen with. She is flawed and kind and a bit of a screwup but will not let a man run over her either.

Rory and Brett’s love story includes plenty of sparring, but I wouldn’t call it enemies to lovers or even rivals. Much like Heath and Annabelle in “Match Me If You Can”, these are two strong personalities that are so perfect for each other it’s a riot…if only they’d get out of their own way.

“Simply the Best” is another wonderful addition to the Chicago Stars universe that is sure to please fans of contemporary romcoms and in the Romance genre at large.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication Feb 13, 2024.

I have not read any of the previous books in the Chicago Stars series and after reading this one I added the rest to my TBR list and told my husband this series would make a great birthday gift for me.
The author did a fabulous job of writing this book because it hooked me from the beginning. The characters were easy to get to know and I loved how they all fit so perfectly together in the story. I was able to connect to them and it made me and Rory’s skills at being a chocolatier had me really craving chocolate as I was reading.
The mystery was one that had just the right amount of twists and turns to make it hard to figure out who was guilty.
Thank you NetGalley, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of Simply the best.
This is my personal review.

3.5 ✮✮✮✮


I have been reading this series since the very first book It Had to Be You and all of the rest of her books. I can see where Ms. Phillips has grown as an author. Her books have usually been wonderful reads for me. They are both funny with serious (sometimes very serious) elements. I always come away wanting to turn right around and do a re-read.

This book seems to take off in a different direction. We don't seem to deal much with the team anymore. Rory (our female lead) is a strong and very opinionated woman who makes one mistake that I was not very happy with. (view spoiler) Things finally do get cleared up in Ms. Phillips's usual zany manner. And then tragedy strikes—a murder.

Things seem to go downhill from here; the book starts centering on sex more than any of the other essential plot lines (and there are several), like Rory starting her own artisanal chocolate business and getting her brother cleared of murder charges.

Although I'm a bit unhappy with this edition of the series, I'm not disliking it either. I think other fans will like, and perhaps even love, this book. So I think this book will be well worth the read.

It's best not to start the series with "Simply the Best"!

* This ARC was supplied by the publisher Avon Books/HarperCollins Publishers, the author, and NetGalley.

Worth the wait! Another quirky, fun, romantic escape from one of the best in the genre. SEP always delivers a book that makes you laugh out loud. Like her others, this book was filled with memorable and believable characters.

Rory is the sister of a famous football player. Her "friend" talked her into moving to Chicago and starting a candy truck. He takes off with the inventory and leaves her with a broken truck and a two thousand dollar ticket. She wants to open her own business and make chocolates. Rory goes to a party that is being thrown for her brother, Clint, and gets drunk and ends up sleeping with Brett.
Brett is a sports agent and the number one rule is don't get involved with your clients family. His client is Clint and he has disappeared.
Rory goes looking for her brother and finds his ex girlfriend dead on the patio. Rory and Brett know Clint didn't kill her but it's the cops and the public that has already convicted him. Together they start to investigate on their own, which brings them closer together. But as a killer runs free, Brett and Rory try to salvage their careers.
Great story. I loved Rory. She's down to earth and loyal. Brett is at first power driven but learns there is more to life that money. Humorous. A little sex. Sort of enemies to lovers.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed for Netgalley*

Where do I start.... Every new SEP book is my new favorite, especially in the Chicago Stars world. I re-read all of them during cancer treatment and returning to the world is like a wonderful gift. SEP always manages to put romance, humor, banter and a beautiful, beautiful humanity onto every page. Thank you!

Oh man this was a really great rom com/mystery and the enemies to lover’s trope in this was top notch and the chemistry between Brett and Rory was scorching hot. Rory and Brett have a one-night stand and a misunderstanding at the same time which just set the tone for all the interactions going forward which is combative to be sure. They need to help each other though when her brother and his client ends up getting accused of murder and they have to locate him as well as figure out how actually committed the murder since they know the brother didn’t have anything to do with it. This was a really great read and the mystery kept you guessing until the last chapter and of course our couple finally get their act together and also some good family bonding between Rory, her bro and step mother who don’t usually have a good relationship but that gets resolved in this as well.

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From Harper Collins Publishers: Take one hard-driving sports agent…
Throw in a failed chocolatier…
And her superstar football player brother…
Then, to really screw things up, mix in a very unfortunate murder.
Brett Rivers is the hottest sports agent in the business—fast and furious, swift and deadly. Failure? Not an option.
Rory Garrett is—let’s be honest—a disaster. She has a big heart, an empty bank account, a passion for making exquisite chocolate, and a huge inferiority complex from living in the shadow of Brett’s most important client, her football legend brother.
Brett and Rory should never have met, and they absolutely, positively should never have had to deal with the consequences of one stupid, drunken night…one disastrous lie…one career in jeopardy…one missing football player…and a very dead body.
It’s going to get messy…and dangerous…and heartbreaking…and sexy. To Rory, Brett represents skewed values and a devious mind. To Brett, Rory is forbidden fruit, off limits, do not disturb, and no entry—definitely no entry.
A woman who has succeeded at nothing and a man who’s succeeded at everything confront the challenge of their lives as they struggle with themselves and each other. When it comes to love—what price are any of us willing to pay to be simply the best?
***********************
My review: This part of a series of books about the Chicago Stars football team and the first one I've read. It doesn't seem like they need to be read in any order, but I plan to read more! I liked the romance, the mystery, the banter and the pace.
Rory has a lot going on and she's a great balance of insecurity, determination, and humor. I cheered her on as she worked to help her Star brother, I felt bad for her when she questioned Brett's intentions, and I hoped she'd end up friends with her stepmother.
Brett starts out kind of jerky but the reader is quick to realize he has just as much baggage and makes some questionable decisions because of that.
The mystery of the murderer was a good one. I thought I figured it out, but not perfectly. Some of the falling in love seemed to happen awfully quickly (Kristin!) but it served the story well and loved things along.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s for keeping me interested, amused, guessing, and nudging me to read the authors other books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

The book's title sums it up...simply the best. What an entertaining and engaging story. The couple had me laughing and crying. The mystery kept me guessing. Now I want to read the previous nine books in this series. Certainly happy to have discovered it, even if I am late to the game. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Simply the Best started out like several other SEP novels, with a hard-driving, extremely successful man (Brett) and a down-on-her-luck, flighty-seeming woman (Rory) who doubts herself and has not yet found her niche in life, plus some long-term relationship angst between a main character and family members.

In Simply the Best, however, there is also a murder mystery with a surprise killer, a lot of drool-worthy food mentions (especially the chocolate!), and a shakeup to the man’s career plans as well as the woman’s.

Something I didn’t understand: how/why Rory became convinced so quickly that Brett possesses a fine character (it didn’t seem to me that their somewhat sparse interactions up to that point had been enough to show her that). Their relationship was a bit insta-lovey, which usually makes me skeptical.

But as with almost all of Phillips’ other novels I’ve read and enjoyed, Simply the Best had interesting characters and relationships, really fun banter, and HEAs for (almost) everyone. It was a quick, enjoyable read and now I’m ready for Clint’s story!

Thank you to the publisher and to SEP for this ARC. These views are entirely my own.
4.5 stars, rounded to 5

This book was fabulous! There was nothing I didn’t like. SEP at her best! The character growth in this story was amazing. The author did a great job of making the relationship and growth between Kristen and Rory real and believable.
Rory and Brett were such a fun couple to bring together. This book had it all—humor, heart, emotion and great conflict!! I devoured this one from beginning to end! Huge thanks to Avon and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you for letting me review this book. What a fun read! I couldn’t put it down. The main characters are hilarious! I highly recommend this book and author! It is a great series!

SEP can write a phenomenal rom com. I know because I’ve read them. She’s been a staple in the genre (with good reason) for decades and her signature humor is always front and center no matter how many releases she puts out.

Unfortunately, I didn’t care for this one. I LOVED the premise of a surly sports agent falling for client’s sister. And the humor was spot on like usual. (The bit where they stumble on to a backwoods nowhere camp of gun toting idiots as Rory calls them was hysterical).

But these characters didn’t have the lovable qualities I’ve come to expect in The Chicago Stars series. Rory is too immature and wishy washy about her life. Brett is too full of stoic machismo. There were moments where I wondered if they were even romantically interested in each other because the chemistry wasn’t there.

And plot wise, for a story that centers around Rory’s brother’s ex girlfriend being found murdered at his house, there’s too many other plot lines going on at the same time to make this a satisfying read. Clint (Rory’s brother) mopes because his agent and his sister saved him from an admittedly disaster in the making relationship. Kristin, Rory’s sort of awful step mother, gets her own romance subplot that took up way too much of our time. And honestly, after reading about her being a verbally and emotionally abusive mother figure to Rory because Rory wasn’t her biological child (even though she raised her from age 5!!), I didn’t need to see her redeemed, forgiven, or end up with a happy ending. Her POV is pretty awful in how she talks and thinks about Clint like he’s the special one because he’s HER child. And poor Rory, whose only sin was not being her biological child, had to deal with her emotional abuse for years. No thank you.

There’s agent meetings and recruitment parties and a sorta kinda “we’ll just investigate this ourselves” subplot that was jumbled and grew clunky and choppy after so much skipping around.

And the romance really gets lost in all of that plus the internal pity party every character seems intent on having.

An initially promising but unfortunately flat entry into a beloved series.

I absolutely LOVED Simply the Best, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have read many of her books and in my opinion, this is one of her best. I loved Rory and Brett and loved the way the fell for each other. They were the perfect foil for each other and I thought their love story was perfect. This book is funny with a mystery thrown in. The only character I didn't love was Clint, Rory's brother. I cannot recommend this book more highly, in my top five for 2023. Strong 5 stars!

The romance felt off but I did enjoy the side mystery plot. Not enough humor and really could have done without the political comments—brought the vibe down.

This can be read as a stand alone. Make sure have good quality chocolates on hand while reading this book! She's frustrated chocolatier trying to solve a friends murder to protect her brother. He's accidentally had a one night stand with his biggest clients sister what can possibility go wrong? 3 solid stars.



****************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*************************