This was a light read--a little escape from my normal life without a bunch of themes or trying to be something it isn't (thank you!), Advice: Crack this open and forget about your own troubles and just enjoy a good story. Characters were diverse in dialogue and behavior and kept me on my toes. I liked the stand up comedy angle. I am a romcom reader and this was a good fun read. I'd recommend. Thank you NG and Nina Kaye for the copy.

This book has some great things and some things I had a hard time getting on board for. Lea is a lonely young person, which I found incredibly relatable. So when she discovers that Shep is in need of a place to stay and she has an extra room, she goes for it. The two seem unlikely lovers since the book highlights her disinterest in him as a romantic partner, but them getting together wasn’t where I struggled.

Shep is 100% likable until he isn’t, which was hard for me to get on board with. It almost gave a love bombing kind of energy.

Lea and Shep as a pair are great but their story felt like a novella that tried to become a full length novel. The third act breakup was icky for no reason.

Overall this book had some cute moments, highs, and not so great moments! An interesting arc read!

Some of the stream of consciousness got repetitive but overall this was sweet and romantic. It was lovely to read something based in Edinburgh too!

Honestly, I loved this so much. I didn't want it to end, but equally couldn't put it down - hence the fact I read it in a day. It's definitely one of the best rom-coms I've read all year. In fact, it might just be my favourite.

I found Lea so relatable. If I was a character, I would literally be her. I was so rooting for her and Shep's relationship and was willing them along to find their happy ending - they're one of my favourite bookish couples ever.

Biggest thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my eARC of this one ♥️

This was such a fun, quick and delightful romcom!! Ciaran and Lea worked so well together, the communication actually existed and I can relate to Lea on a personal level, I thought the character traits made them more real and relatable!

thank you to netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

I was so excited to read a good rom com, and with stand up comedy as part of the storyline, I was sure I’d get the laughs I’ve been craving. And while Shep did have some funny lines, the story itself was a bit flat.

Lea’s internal stream of consciousness made her hard to love. If she wasn’t thinking poorly of herself for having no friends, she was thinking poorly of herself for one reason or another. And while that does absolutely happen in real life, it’s not exactly something I want a romantic comedy to be heavy on.

On top of that, I think the main reason I was skimming along and not enjoying this much was the fact that there is so little emotion shown here. The story is heavy on telling and minimal on the showing. Other than one or two very quick sentences where we are shown a hint of emotion, the rest of the story is told to us with a flat delivery and endless internal monologue.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Want cute, quirky and funny? Check out STAND UP GUY by Nina Kaye.

Stand up comedian Shep is staying with Lea while performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, will sparks fly? You bet!

Lea seemed real to me - quite often we lose touch with friends as our lives and careers take precedent. I loved how Shep helped Lea grow into herself.

Though I struggled with the writing style, I loved that the story was set around the Fringe Festival - I've never been but it sounds like a lot of fun!

If you're looking for a sweet romance with plenty of laugh out loud moments - this is the story for you

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC! Opinions are my own

#rochellereadsit

Stand Up Guy by Nina Kaye 📕

Nina takes in Shep, an aspiring comedian, when he has nowhere else to stay. Soon, their relationship builds and Nina can’t help but fall for Shep. However, Shep isn’t due to stick around for long, so will Nina inevitably get hurt?

My review 📖:

I liked the idea of this book when reading the blurb but it just fell short for me. The writing style wasn’t to my liking and because of that I found myself getting distracted whilst trying to read; it didn’t keep me engrossed in the storyline.
I also didn’t feel like I connected with the protagonists; I felt like Nina was rather dependant on Shep for her happiness. Whereas for Shep, I really didn’t like his initial introduction (if I was talked to in that manner there’s no way I would have gone back to have a drink with him let alone allow him in my home!) and I didn’t feel a pull towards his character.

My score: 2/5 ⭐️

This romance novel features a lonely Scottish research assistant, Lea, and an up and coming Northern Irish comedian, Shep. I was excited to read this novel as it's set in Edinburgh, a city that I have visited and loved. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the characters or their story. Lea is desperate for companionship and when she meets Shep at a bar in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival (and learns he is broke and about to give up on comedy), she quickly invites him to move in. They soon move from roommates to lovers without giving me the sense that there is a spark between them. They both know this is a "summer romance", and the novel progresses with a "will he stay or not" plot line. There is a side plot in which Shep helps Lea to find a group of friends. It was not clear to me why she hasn't developed her own friendships since university. In addition, the dialogue fell flat for me. One example: "You're intelligent, beautiful - literally the best person I've ever met. And you're top-notch in bed." I wanted to love this one, but it was a miss for me. I would not recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved how it was set in and around the Fringe festival!! I've never been to the Fringe before but it sounds like so much fun! But I didn't love the characters! They weren't super likeable and there didn't seem to be much chemistry between them either.

Overall, this was a sweet romance that definitely had some laugh out loud moments!! Definitely give this one a go of you're looking for an easy summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Stand Up Guy by Nina Kaye surely was an uplifting romance. I found myself relating to the main character, Lea, as I have lived in many different cities, often finding myself friend-less once separated from my childhood friends and college friends. As we slip into our mid to late twenties, our lives and careers tend to take us all separate ways, and although we remain friends, it's not quite the same as the 'available and ready to party or hang out at all times' like it once was. I really felt for Lea! Life is hard when you feel lonely and you're constantly reminded that you are in what others consider 'the best years of your life'. But.. then comes Shep in need of saving, yet in a way, he also managed to save Lea. He not only made her lonely days come to an end, but he made the whole book! Of course, being a comedian, his humor was expected to be great and it was. He really turned things around for Lea and I adored him for that.

It was clear that every other character in the book that observed Lea and Shep together knew they would be endgame, and I am delighted that they got their happy ending.

This book was the right amount of quirky and cute, and the characters were very enjoyable.

Lea falls for Shep- an outgoing comedian who is staying with her for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Will their relationship continues when the festival is over?

Love the LOL scenes. The humour is terrific. Lea and Shep are both fun characters. I really like both of them. I enjoy the story a lot.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I have hoovered up all of Nina Kaye's books so far, and Stand Up Guy was no different.
Lea, the MC, has been dumped rather unceremoniously, and she is finding life hard with no other close friends around her.
It happens to be the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she lives, and a chance encounter with another person who looks down on their luck changes the projection of her life.
Shep is a comedian, trying his luck doing free shows to build his experience. But he has no support from his own family, and thanks to an emergency at his accommodation, it looks like this chance might be scuppered too.
Lea offers her spare room to the relative stranger and the developments over a short period cause all sorts of havoc in her life.
I loved this whole story. Lea is a sorry character at the beginning, but you see her develop into a great character as she increases her circle.
The side characters are great too, and bring another layer to the story.
The romance that develops is a brilliant 'will they/ they?' story, and I was totally on board.
A wonderful read and highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an ARC.

Stand Up Guy....
This story was so good. This book follows the life of Lea, who has had a string of bad relationships and some downs in life. She meets Shep who is a comedian and some friends. Shep and Lea share a spark and romance blossoms with an end date. Shep is leaving in a month. Shep's family also doesnt support him. Lea helps build Shep up by being there to support him, something he isn't used to because of his family. Shep has been getting positive reviews and feels things are headed in the right direction. But what happens when Shep gets a negative review?
We also follow Lea becoming great friends with Tess and Becca. Well Lea thinks everything is coming together so well for her, another break up happens and a friend she thought was a friend treats her horribly. Lea is always a kind and caring person., but feels she needs to do something to stand up for herself.
This is a great book. I was able to both laugh and have some tears. I felt so bad for Lea at times. My heart breaking for her, but she remains true to herself and finds her happy ending.

I loved this book. I instantly knew who the characters were and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Definitely recommend.

Reading and absolutely loving this one so far! Can’t wait to share my full thoughts and review so watch this space, but I love Nina Kaye’s books so I’m not surprised this one is as good as it is! I love the comedy aspect and how relatable the content is! I know readers are going to love this one!