I'm loving this series! Melissa, Jamie and Sammy are just everything you every wanted! These characters are well written and so lovable. This is a cute grumpy/sunshine RomCom. I love that that Jamie moves from Chicago to Wisconsin since I live 10 minutes out of Wisconsin so I can relate to the story. They leave to get a fresh start and little do they know they will find Melissa and she will change everything. I really like this series of books and look forward to the next book featuring Melissa’s friend Paige. This is a fun, quick read that I would highly recommend and it's available on Kindle Unlimited.


Thank you NetGalley and Whitney Dineen for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Melissa co-owns Bride's Paradise, with her mother, Margie, in Elk Lake, Wisconsin. Melissa is having a difficult time looking at these happy brides when her boyfriend died. Melissa never got her happy ending.

Jamie Riordan moves to Elk Lane with his twelve-year-old daughter. It has been Jamie and Samantha for the longest time. Her mother, Beth, and Jamie dated six years before he proposed, the day Beth shared they were pregnant. After Jamie was born, Beth never bonded with her daughter, and after six months, she left, leaving Jamie to raise their daughter.

Melissa and Sammy become fast friends. Melissa's love life is looking up, but Jamie, who is tall and handsome, wants nothing to do with Melissa!

Melissa and Jamie are both complicated people. They are frustrating and stubborn; tension makes for a great rom com! I'm a sucker for witty banter, and I was not disappointed. The relationship Melissa and Sammy had was wonderful. I smiled, giggled, and chuckled while reading this novel. It is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Single dad, small town romance where he’s grumpy only to her.
Melissa works in a bridal shop in a small town, she is tired of the monotony of her life and shy about dating after a string of bad experiences. Jamie is a devoted single dad moving his daughter to escape being bullied at school. He is not interested in dating as he has had some bad experiences. When his daughter Sammy befriends Melissa sparks fly.
I really liked Melissa and Sammy and the way they made friends right away. I found the relationship between Jamie and Melissa not to my taste. It felt like Jamie was stringing Melissa along and wasn’t serious. I understand that he had trust issues and was overprotective of his daughter but it just seemed odd.
I still enjoyed the story and was glad it had a happy ending.
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read. Several hilarious and heartwarming moments. I read this in one sitting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm excited to read other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Whitney Dineen for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

This is the second book of the Pity Series and was an absolute delight to read. Jamie is a single dad who is relocating to Wisconsin with his daughter, Sammy. He's a bit of a grump and uptight. He had his heart broken and has no interest in romance and love. Melissa has also not been so lucky in the love department, and that has caused her to become a bit resentful and cynical. When Jamie moves to town with his daughter, Melissa takes an instant liking to Sammy and they become fast friends. This endears her to Jamie, because she helps Sammy come out of her shell and adjust to their new life. I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom and grow. I also liked seeing the dynamic they both had with Sammy, it was so sweet! I was pulled in to the story from the very start and was hooked till the end. Ms Dineen has such a way with romantic comedies, and this was no different. The story left me with a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart. Absolutely loved it!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I enjoyed this small town romance from new-to-me author Whitney Dineen. This is the love story between Melissa and Jamie. Melissa is a single woman who co-owns a bridal store with her mom. Their business is successful and thrives during the summer season. Melissa is finally ready to seek a soulmate to settle down with. Jaime is a marketing guru and owns his own business. He is also the single dad of a smart and beautiful tween daughter. While Melissa is a lifelong resident of Elk Grove, Jaime and his daughter are the town's newest residents.

Melissa and Jaime's road to love is replete with kissing, discovery and letting go of the past. While they both bring emotional baggage into their new friendship, it is Jaimie who barricades their chance for a forever together. In fact, he is a bit immature in how he handles situations. Luckily, before Melissa interviews for a "finding love" reality series, Jaime sweeps her off her feet.

This is the second book from the Pity series and it can be read as a standalone. Overall, this is an engaging novel and I plan on reading more from this author.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Whitney Dineen books can be hit or miss for me. This one was somewhere in the middle. Who wouldn’t want a teenager like Sammy raging hormones and all. I loved the father daughter relationship. I think Jamie was a good single parent to raise such a smart and funny girl.
I liked Melissa and Jamie’s relationship in the end. I just thought Melissa shouldn’t have been so wishy washy about the relationship. Jamie kept giving her mixed signals. There was such a buildup to meeting Beth , to me it was a little anticlimactic. It was strange to me that Sammy was staying with Beth with only having reunited with her for a couple of months. I did read this within one sitting so it kept my attention. I’d say Sammy was what made this book. I appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and these opinions are mine alone.

Given her unlucky dating history, bridal boutique owner Melissa can't help resenting the irony of being surrounded every day by blissful brides. When tall, handsome single-dad Jamie comes to town, he seems like the perfect catch—yet he rebuffs her advances. Can she convince him to take a chance on love?

This hilarious and heartwarming rom com features great characters and a smart, emotionally authentic plot. This series is so much fun (though the books don't have to be read in order). Don't miss it!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The owner of a bridal store in Elk Lane, Melissa is single and wants to find love. When single father, Jamie moves into town with his twelve-year-old daughter Sammy, he doesn’t expect to meet someone. Having been left as the sole parent of Sammy when she was six months old, he has found that dating has only caused issues for his daughter.
What made this story so sweet was the relationship between Jamie and Sammy, as wells as how Melissa is with Sammy. Melissa gains Sammy’s affection by simple acts such as giving her a summer job at the bridal store. At times, I must confess to being frustrated with Jamie and his reluctance in wanting a relationship. It was a relief when he admits to his attraction and feelings for Melissa. Despite this, it was a feel-good romance that brought a smile to my face.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sooo this is the second installement of the Pity Series and I have to ask : does Elk Lake, Wisconsin really exist ? Because I am ready to leave Europe and move there <3 <3

Whitney Dineen stays true to herself with wonderfully imperfect and believable characters and still this amazing little town with a strong community (less visible than in Pity Date but you can feel the moral fibre in each character).

I've been reading a lot of romance novels about single parents lately and was actually a bit fed up BUT it's Whitney Dineen so there was no way I was not reading this book. And I loved it so much, I loved Sammy and how her relationship with Missy brought her dad to reconsider his own (romantic) future.

So much more than a romance, that's for sure. A novel about resilience, forgiveness and how one person can change it all.

I am so ready for the third installement Pity Pact ;)

Thanks to NetGalley and Whitney Dineen for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

f you want a book that will have you laughing out loud and leave you giggling and smiling like a Cheshire Cat then this is the book for you. The chemistry is electric and the banter is witty and flows naturally and once you add in the secondary characters you get the perfect rom com.

This is the second book in the 'Pity series' by Whitney Dineen and also the second one I have read (today)!

That's right. These books are a quick read, a little longer than a novella.

In this book Jamie and wedding boutique owner Melissa meet up.

- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Single Dad
- Low heat rating (in my opinion)

Like the first book there were some elements of the narrative I found difficulty parsing. Melissa's mother and their relationship was one. The implausibility of Beth's behaviour another (but maybe that's because I have never seen post partum depression manifest in that particular way). In any case, I just went with it.

I really liked Melissa,. and Jamie seems like a sensational father, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between these two. They seemed more natural friends than partners.

As a romance this book didn't really work for me, but I did like the writing and will be looking out for the next one.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Emotional, funny, and featuring the best father and daughter duo in recent history, this book was even better than the first in the series. I grew to love these characters so much that there was no way I was going to put this book down until HEA was achieved.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The 2nd book in the Pity Series is a hit! Melissa owns a bridal salon with her mother and is feeling the pressure of finding her own HEA. Jaime is a single dad who just moved to town with his daughter for a fresh start after leaving Chicago where his daughter was being bullied.
There is instant attraction when they see each other for the first time, but Jaime has hardened his heart to not get involved with anyone, thinking he is protecting his daughter and himself from getting hurt again. However, the chemistry and attraction are things he cannot fight forever!! He treated her so hot and then cold at times, I felt the whiplash. The author deals with so many social issues in such a believable way. The secondary characters only added to the complexity of the story. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series!

“You can’t protect yourself from life. The big things are always risks. That’s what makes them worth it in the end.

Definitely check it out if you like:

Grumpy / Sunshine
Small Town Romance
Single Dad
Past Trauma
Closed Door