Book 2 in this series! It’s Marissa’s turn, and I love how it is at the same time as most of Not In A Billion Years so there’s Blake and Gabriel! Loved John’s character … he was so loveable and Nora was a great kid addition. I really enjoyed but I preferred the first book first!

I went into this book blind, not having read any other books by this author. Well, now I want to go and read this authors entire catalogue of books! I was hooked from the first chapter.

Marissa is a character I simply love. She is strong, independent, and is determined to start a family on her own. She has issues trusting men, which I can completely relate to. I was rooting for her happy ending (no matter what they would be) for the duration on the book.

John was sweet, but he has so many moments where he was cocky that it took a while for him to grow on me. We also had the mystery for why he left Marissa at prom dangling over us for much of the book. I wanted to know more, but at the same time I was happy Marissa didn’t instantly forgive John. Serves him right to grovel a bit.

The banter, plot, and characters were great. There were even some scenes that would usually make me roll my eyes (ie the brownie scene), but I thought they actually worked well and made me laugh.

And that plot twist in chapter 20? Oh my gosh I did not see that coming! Completely shocked me; maybe even more than the characters were shocked.

The only part I found hard to believe was with Nora. She’s in the first grade but talks like she is a wise teenager. It was sort of hard to grasp.

If you are looking for a book that will sink its little claws in you, pick this one. Add this to your 2024 TBR list right now!

*An ARC was provided by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

How are you, as a 34 year old woman who is supposedly such a #girlboss, still saying vajayjay instead of vagina.

The two mc's honestly just pissed me off so badly. Marissa claims to hate John yet the second they meet again 16 years later it's like insta-love all over again. Additionally, she's also just very immature and unlikeable. John is the most one-dimensional character I have ever read in a romance book. It feels as if chatgpt wrote him cause there is just no depth to him whatsoever.

However, I would love to try one of the author book's in the future, maybe once there is more growth as a writer.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this! Loved revisiting the world from Isley's previous book: I had missed Blake and Gabriel.
Marissa is a CEO looking to have a baby on her own. John is her highschool sweetheart who broke her heart. How do two people find their way back to each other 16 years later, while being thrust together by a whirlwind of circumstance?
I would give this 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. This was a good read, but was missing that something special that was "Not in a Billion Years". In that story I really enjoyed the B storyline, but here Marissa's job in this one really took a back seat in this one. I do love these tropes: a bit second chance romance, a bit enemies to lovers...but the 'forced proximity' trope that was used was waaay too farfetched for my taste. I couldn't buy in how much both characters were just ok with what happened, and so exuberantly so. I just I also thought the transition of Marissa and John's romance was a bit hard to follow: Marissa's waffling was far less realistic than Blake's in the first book. I struggled really believing and rooting for their HEA: I knew it was coming, but I didn't really love the road we took to get there.

I found the premise a bit far-fetched and even excessive in its time effects, so much so that everything else afterward seemed rather unbelievable. The two characters then are all too much: too successful, too beautiful, too much in love, etc.etc.

La premessa mi è sembrata un po' inverosimile e anche eccessiva nei suoi effetti temporali, tanto che tutto il resto dopo mi é parso piuttosto poco credibile. I due personaggi poi sono tutto troppo: troppo di successo, troppo belli, troppo innamorati, etc.etc.

I received an advanced digital review copy from the Publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Camilla! Omigod you are a wonderful storyteller! This book has all you could ever want in a fun Romcom! Camilla Isley completely held my attention the whole way through the book. Marissa and John are high school sweethearts but well sh*t happened and they got separated. But finally after 16 years they meet up in a clinic, Marissa for her IVF appointment and John is a doctor in there. So what you guys think? How will they act and survive the still-attraction they feel for each other?

Accidental pregnancy is one of my all time favorite tropes especially in a romcom.
The book was fun, the characters were great, I loved the little bit of miscommunication thrown in between family members, adding in some brief low level drama. There were a few parts that had me laughing my a** off.

But most importantly I like how independent Marissa was. Even though she decided herself that she want a baby, it was never questioned by family or friends when she decided to go to the clinic, to have a baby one her own. Everyone was so supportive and I think the author did a really good job in showing that she was a successful woman on her own.

John may have been broken her heart when he was a teenager but I really fell in love with him. How sweet is he, raising a daughter without a mom and taking care of Marissa was woow! I really want a boyfriend like that!

Please camilla I really need a novella or anything about them please!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance e-copy of Baby, One More Time by Camilla Isley in exchange of an honest review.
"Baby One More Time by Camilla Isley is a captivating and engaging romantic comedy that had me hooked from the very beginning. The combination of a second chance romance, a charming hot doctor, and the heartwarming dynamic of a single dad added layers of depth to the storyline. Isley's writing style and ability to create relatable and lovable characters kept me invested throughout the book.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the overall plot and the witty banter between the characters, I felt that there was room for more exploration of John's reasons for leaving the protagonist behind. Given the sixteen-year gap, it would have been beneficial to have a deeper understanding of his motivations.

However, despite this minor drawback, Baby One More Time is still a delightful and light-hearted read that I would recommend to anyone in need of a feel-good romantic comedy. Isley's ability to create captivating storylines and sprinkle them with humor makes this book an excellent choice for those looking for an entertaining escape into the world of romance."

This was such a good, fun read and something different then the genre I usually read I really enjoyed it

The phrase that there are no such thing as coincidence certainly comes to mind when reading the story of Marissa and John and how their lives become intertwined due to the actions of the clinic in her pursuit to have a baby. The fact that they were together at a young age but he broke her heart is constantly referenced in this book. That got to be a little too much in my opinion as they were only teenagers at the time. Her not letting anyone else in due to that one instance portrayed her in the light of bring emotionally stunted. This certainly did not match to what a great success she was professionally. I am glad that she opened her heart to Nora and began to experience the joy of having a baby and the love that comes with it. Like Blake and Gabriel, she was ready to be part of a family and create one themselves. Definitely a happy ending.

📖 𝘽𝙖𝙗𝙮, 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘖𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦.“

Marissa is 34 years old and has built a successful company. Money will never be a worry for her but she still feels like she’s missing something. All she’s ever wanted was to be a mother, but unfortunately dating hasn’t been successful since her high school sweetheart broke her heart the night of prom. Now she’s decided to try IVF and use a sperm donor to get pregnant on her own. At one of her appointments she is shocked to see that her doctor is actually John, the boy who broke her heart.

John is back in his childhood home with his son after his marriage fell apart. He is a successful doctor, surgeon and researcher but has never forgotten about the girl he left behind.

This was a good book, I just wanted more issues worked out. Some parts were truly hilarious and I had secondhand embarrassment for the characters. I feel like John’s reasons for leaving her behind needed to be something more deep or better explained. Sixteen years is a long time to leave someone you care about. That’s just my personal opinion, other than that it was a fun read.

🔥This is a closed door romance with little to no spice.

Tropes:
💋 Dual POV
🩶 Second Chance Romcom
🫶🏼 Single Dad
🥒 Pickle cravings
🚪 Closed Door Romance

Overall rating 3.5 ⭐️, rounded up.

This story does describe the IVF process in detail and talks about the struggles woman going through that deal with.

🩶 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC of this book so that I can share this honest opinion.

This is a cute book where unconventional circumstances throw two exes back together again. I found the book to be light hearted and cute with lots of build up and then all the sudden it was like someone said "ok it needs to end right now" and so it did. It just felt rushed at the end. Also The lab tech that worked with John could have easily been a great character that really all the sudden just dropped off in the middle and then made a brief appearance again toward the end. That was a little disappointing to me.
Overall its a cute, quick read but it lacked a bit for me.

📚 Baby, One More Time
✍ Camilla Isley
📖 RomCom
⭐3.5/5
🌶️ closed-door

➡Marissa Mayer has spent her adult life checking boxes: she's scaled the ranks at an investment firm, launched a successful tech start-up and has wonderful relationships with her friends and family. What she hasn't been able to find, ever since her high school boyfriend broke her heart, is a lasting love. So she decides to work toward making her dream of motherhood a reality on her own by undergoing IVF.

After recently relocating back to New York with his daughter following a brutal divorce, things are looking up for John Raikes. He's able to do more research at the fertility clinic where he works and finally has his family close-by to support him as he raises his 6 year old. But an unexpected run-in with the one that got away will leave him realizing just how much he's missed what he left in New York when he fled 16 years ago.

Marissa is hesitant to let John back into her life but when a mix-up at the fertility clinic changes everything, John may get a second chance to show Marissa how much she means to him. But will history overshadow everything that could be or will Marissa take one more chance at love?
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🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy of Baby, One More Time. All opinions are my own.

🎯 What I loved: The serendipitous timing and set-up for a second chance romance in this book was hilarious. While it was definitely more far fetched than most RomComs I read, it was quirky and funny and I found myself totally engrossed and unwilling to put this down. The preposterous situations had me chuckling and John was a very swoon-worthy MMC. Marissa was driven and intelligent and the type of protagonist I love to root for. Anyone who has read the first book in this series will be pleased with the cross-over timelines and character arcs from the previous book.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: The first half of the book was really fast paced but the second half dragged a bit for me and felt repetitive. Marissa's trust issues with John were completely justified and I understood why she was hesitant to let him back into her life but from a plot perspective, it felt like things got stuck on this point and never really moved past it. As compelling as this storyline was, it was difficult to be invested in John and Marissa as a couple because readers never saw them happy; we saw their trust issues, the flashbacks to what went wrong initially, their banter and sometimes saw a one-sided love in the present, but we really didn't get much to root for until the very end- and that felt incredibly rushed. I was also baffled by both main character's reactions (or non-reactions) to the clinic mix-up and felt like that should have played a bigger role in the story. Ultimately, while I enjoyed this book, I found it underdeveloped and found myself wishing for a bit more character action and closure.
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Read if you love:
*second chance romance
*boss-babe FMCs + cinnamon roll MMCs
*lots of graveling
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See also: The One That Got Away, Just My Type, Every Summer After

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Baby, One More Time is an engaging, second chance, hot doctor, single dad romance. As always, Camilla Isley kept me entertained throughout the book with an enjoyable storyline and great characters. I loved that Blake and Gabriel were incorporated into the story. 
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy.  Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the ARC of this novel.

I enjoyed this book so much! The story was perfectly done. I have been looking for a book just like this for a while and I was so happy it find it in this book.

This was super cute - I really enjoyed it and found it to be the perfect light and easy read.
Pick this one up when you need a light read - one that is sweet, filled with cute characters and a sweet story line!

OMG this was crazy. Can you imagine getting pregnant accidently by your high school ex boyfriend who stomped on your heart?!

This book has everything you could want from a romcom. I love the enemies to lovers trope!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable enemies to lovers story packed with equal measures of angst and humour. High school sweethearts Marissa and John are thrown back together after many years apart in the strangest of circumstances. The chapters alternate from the POV of the two lead characters helping us really get under their skins as they navigate the situation. John keen to rekindle the relationship he left behind in college and Marissa still hurting is determined to protect her heart at all costs. Their families and friends add depth to the story and I particularly loved both family’s reaction the the big news on Thanksgiving.

This is the second book in the True Love series, and it read perfectly well as a stand alone, but means I need to add to my TBR pile and buy the first book!

Thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy

This book and I did not vibe. I know this book will be relatable to someone, but that person is not me.

Marissa is a successful business woman who has not been lucky in love ever since her highschool sweetheart dumped and broke her heart on prom night. Now in her mid-thirties she plans on having a baby via IVF. Imagine her shock when at her appointment in the fertility clinic the doctor is no other than John Raikes, the ex-highschool-boyfriend. Of course Marissa still hates him and never wants to see him again but fate seems to have other plans..

As with all of Camilla's books I have read so far I totally loved this book. It is fun to read and has great and relatable characters who have lots of chemistry. I rooted for Marissa from the start, didn't much like John at first but came around much like Marissa did. Of course parts of the plot are very unrealistic but since this is a romance I didn't really mind. I also liked how in the beginning there is a bit of a cross-over with the first book in the series "Never in a billion years".
I completely recommend this book and am already looking forward to next one by Camilla Isley.

Second chance romance, between Marissa and John.

Their first reunion after 16 years is awkward (really awkward), because Marissa who do IVF check up, meet John, a obgyn who will take the role for checking her private part. Since John feels regret after what he has done in the past, he really wants to win Marissa again.

The story is like others romance books: easily predicted with happy ending. But, the explanation about IVF process give me new knowledge. Soon I know that it based on author's experience when she did IVF.

Overall, the story is good. Very light and minimum conflict. So it suits you who wants to read romance for escaping from reality. Although the banter were not much as Camilla Isley other books.