Baby, One More Time
By: Camilla Isley
Pub Date: Jan 20, 2024

This was another fun read! Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the E-arc.

This is the 2nd novel in the True Love series and Marissa Mayer, friends of Blake Avery, from the 1st book, Not in a Billion Years.

If you are a lover of rom-coms and happy endings with witty banter and hilarious texts, then this book is for you!

Marissa is a successful COO and runs a popular app that she created. With everything going for her, there is one thing she wants, and that is a baby. With no partner in sight for the foreseeable future, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to go through IVF.

During this process, who decides to show up and is a well-renowned Dr. at the very same clinic she goes to? None, other than the man who broke her heart, Dr. John Raikes.

Even after all these years, she has not gotten over him and how he broke her heart. John has also never forgotten his first (and only) love, Marissa.

Through fate and twists and turn, chance encounters and lots of forgiveness, will Marissa ever be able to forgive John and will she have her happily every after?

The author goes into a bit of detail about IVF, the emotional and physical toll it can have on a person, the desire to have a child and to have family. The author does a wonderful job weaving the seriousness of IVF with comedy, witty banter and a strong desire for happy endings.

Baby One More Time is a second chance romance including a fertility journey, a crazy mix up and the continuation of the first book in the series. First off, as someone who works in healthcare, this mix up was insane and I dont care if it worked out in the end, there needed to be serious repercussions for the clinic and the staff involved. Ok setting that aside, it was a nice book to read although I still didnt entirely understand the reasoning for the conflict back in the day and why they had to stop speaking for so long. Both people seemed intelligent and interesting but I wasnt sure i understood them entirely outside of the surface level. It is a really quick read and it was entertaining.

Once upon a time, she offered her heart on a platter... only to have it unexpectedly returned to sender. True, they were teenagers, and it was a classic prom night scenario, but that didn't excuse the damages left behind. Flash forward 16 years and you've got a meet-not-so-cute in the making that you'd never anticipate... with twists and turns along the way to complicate things even further.

Marissa had a right to bear the grudge she carried...what John did back then was inexcusable. In the light of day so many years later and with an explanation delivered as to why it happened, I gotta say... she took it better than I would have. I suppose what they say about love being blind certainly applies to the blinders we place on our hearts when feelings run high, but while Marissa may have been willing to forgive on the surface, she certainly wasn't forgetting, and when things get further out of control, it'll all come down to trust, and, ultimately, love. Watching the feelings they had back then reignite was heartwarming, as was the author's reigned in approach to their potential reconciliation. It had just enough of a ring of truth to be believable without sacrificing the comedic aspect of the story.

By book's end, readers get the happy ending they've been waiting for, but the hope, what, and why of it all is a lightly cloaked mystery you'll have to uncover! Great pick for fans of the author's previous works, as well as Romcom readers looking for a new name to add to their reading rotation.

I could not get enough of this second chance enemies to lovers Rom-Com with a mix of baby fever in it. I could not stop reading this. I love the banter between John and Marissa. It was perfect. This was a great read for me.
I just reviewed Baby, One More Time by Camilla Isley. #BabyOneMoreTime #NetGalley
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Marissa is old enough for a family and she want it by her own.
Marissa is in the middle of the insemination process, when she suddenly meet her teenage sweatheart who left her in a not so famous way.

After all they met many times and there is a big surprise in the middle of the book.

Can they find together again and what's with the maybe baby?

Funny, emotional, respectful

Have fun reading!

another great hit from Camilla Isley!!!
I loved the freshness of the story, and the character building, and especially if you read the first book in the series, I love the little tidbits and snippets from the BTS of the previous book in this story, however, it still stands alone in terms of if you didn't read the first book, you can still very much follow this second one no problem.
I found the main character annoying at times when she wouldn't get off her high horse and kept mentioning how poorly her love interest acted when they were literal children/teenagers back in the day and sometimes I was finding her really annoying, but all in all in the end it was a very cute and satisfying story and would definitely recommend to friends for a cute rom-com story that makes you feel good about life and love.
(also can't wait for the third installment to come out!!!)

Thanks so much publishers and Net Galley for providing the ARC for an unbiased review.

I do love an enemies to lovers - John, the teenage boy who broke Marissa's heart. Instead of them meeting up and finding each other naturally, a key part of their story is crazy! (No spoilers but really????) So much to get into on the clinic issue....anyway if you can get through that, the sweetness of the budding rekindled romance, the support and kindness shown are huge positives. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This is not a uniquely new plot, nor is the reason for the second chance romance to have failed the first time around very great, but the author's writing and the characters themselves made this a very enjoyable read.
There are some books where the characters carry the entire narrative, and this is one of those. From the minute both of them are introduced, it is hard not to want them to end up together.
Marissa is a go-getter. She works long hours to work on multiple things. Her work life is interesting, and the way she treats her colleagues and co-workers actually takes up part of her section of the book, and it is surprisingly worth the visit.
There are chains of text conversations between multiple characters, and that was a fun addition as well.
Finally, when the couple works things out, it is done in a believable manner, making the entire read worth pursuing.
I would recommend this to fans of second-chance romances, and I would definitely be trying another of the author's works if and when I get the chance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Marie and John were highschool sweethearts. Total endgame, until he broke her heart without any explanation. 15 years later, Marie is a successful business women who still carries the pain of the brutal rejection and decides and decides that she doesn't need love to have a baby. When John moves back to town and shows up as a doctor at her feritlity clinic, it is all too much for Marie. But fate has other ideas and soon the two become tied together in a way they never would have expected. 

Baby, One More Time is a cute enemies to lovers, second chance romance with single dad swoon but also, a trope that I don't love. I really think the story could have been fantastic without it and I would have enjoyed it a bit more to see them come together in a more honest way.

I enjoyed the Marie's character as a strong and successful business woman, and the family vibes, but unfortunately, I felt there were just too many 'happy coincidences' for me to stay engaged without it feeling a bit eyerolly.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC.

This book just did nothing for me, the plot was slow and very boring in my opinion. It was hard to even click with the characters!

This was a super cute, clean romance
Baby, One More Time was a super cute, clean romance, still with a little spark.

Marissa used to date a boy back in the day whom she planned to lose her virginity to, however things happened and she was left waiting... now Dr. Raikes, her long-lost ex boyfriend shows up as she is starting her journey to become a mother alone, and he's there to give her a pelvic exam!

This enemies-to-lovers, second change romcom was full of twists and laugh out loud moments. Every time I start to read a Camilla Isley, I forget she's a clean romance author, but boy does she write a good story!

Blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources

http://ramblingmads.uk/2024/01/23/blog-tour-baby-one-more-time-camilla-isley/

Book Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn’t think it was possible to love Camila Isley’s writing more, but the second book in her True Love Series proved I can!

Baby, One More Time, follows Marissa (Mari) Mayer, a strong, independent woman who doesn’t want the fact that she is single at 34 to prevent her from becoming a mother. After deciding IVF is her best option, she begins the process. Things appear to be going perfect, that is until she discovers John, her first love works at the same facility she is seeking treatment. Will Marissa’s dream of becoming a mother come to fruition, or will the man who broke her heart stand in her way once more?

Readers were first introduced to Marissa (Mari) in book one of the True Love Series, Not In A Billion Years. While originally written as a secondary character, her personality was a hit. Fans begged Isley to write a book just for her and thus Baby, One More Time was conceived.

I was super impressed with Camila Isley for writing such a sweet book about a subject that is near and dear to her heart. While this book tackles serious subject matters such as fertility and single-parenting, it managed to stay on the lighter side.

I highly recommend reading BOTH books in the series and in ORDER as Marissa’s story doesn’t pick up where Blake’s left off. Instead the two happen simultaneously. While Isley does a terrific job of reiterating key plot points from the first book, you won’t be able to appreciate all the little things that made Marissa and John’s/ Blake and Gabriel’s love stories so sweet!

Special thanks to Camila Isley, Netgalley, and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

*Side Note
This isn’t the last we will be hearing from Blake, Marissa, Gabriel, and John. We will be catching up with all of them in STEMinist, the third and final book of the True Love Series, which follows Thomas (Gabriel’s brother).

Dnf after 67%

I had a hard time clicking with the characters in this book. The plot was super slow. I can see this book working for a lot of people, but it unfortunately didn't work out for me...

This book is a captivating second installment in the True Love series, following Marissa Mayer's journey to motherhood through IVF and unexpected reconnection with her high school sweetheart, Dr. John Raikes. With likeable characters, overlapping stories, and plenty of drama, the book seamlessly blends elements of second chance romance and enemies-to-lovers tropes. Marissa's struggles with trust and John's desire for redemption add depth to their evolving relationship, while touching moments and humor balance out the storyline. The inclusion of multiple POVs enhances the reader's connection to both protagonists. Set against themes of IVF, second chances, family, and friendship, this heartwarming novel is a gripping and well-written addition to the romance genre.

I love second chance romance so I enjoyed this. I felt the dialogue was realistic and it was fun whilst also being serious when it needed to be. Loved it!

Trigger Warnings
This book contains:
• Some serious ghosting as a teenager
• Medical mishap.
Characters
Marissa is a powerful, independent woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. She’s certainly had her troubles earlier in life, but she’s risen above them and made something of her life.
John has returned to his home city after a pretty life changing event, and he’s brought his daughter with him. Since leaving home years earlier, he’s not the same man that Marissa remembers. Now, he’s dedicated to his job and can’t believe he might have a chance to find his way back into Marissa’s life.
Storyline
Marissa has decided she wants to have a baby, even if she doesn’t have a man yet, so is going it alone with IVF. She’s committed to becoming a mother, even if it means having to run into her high school ex occasionally.
Overall Thoughts
If you’ve read Not in a Billion Years, you’ll have a good idea of where Marissa and John end up, but the journey to get there is a hell of a journey!
While I had a slight confusion initially, I’m attributing that to the fact that I’ve read the advanced, not final copies of both these books. So I’m assuming that the little discrepancy I remembered didn’t make it to the final copies.
Once I got past that tiny little blip, the whole thing was a mixture of laughs, cuteness and romantic gestures. Some of which I was sure would backfire and cause a massive scene, and yet instead turned into a super sweet scene.
That sweet mixture of romance, drama, sweetness and conflict made this so amazingly fun story so hard to put down.
I’ve read heaps of Camilla’s books before, and yet I still get sucked into the story and have fun with every new one she comes out with. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

"Baby, One More Time" by Camilla Isley is a delightful romantic tale that skillfully blends career ambitions, second chances, and the unexpected rekindling of a teenage romance. Marissa Mayer, a driven and successful COO, sets her sights on starting a family despite having given up on love. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when Dr. John Raikes, her teenage sweetheart turned neonatal medicine expert, reenters her life as her doctor.

I rated "Baby, One More Time" 4 stars because of its engaging storyline, well-developed characters, and the perfect balance between humor and emotion. Isley crafts a compelling and realistic tale of love, growth, and forgiveness. Marissa and John's journey, marked by sparks and a reluctance to open old wounds, unfolds with a refreshing authenticity.

The novel captures the complexity of relationships and the challenges of balancing personal and professional aspirations. "Baby, One More Time" is a charming and heartwarming read that resonates with readers, offering a perfect blend of romance and self-discovery.

Marissa Mayer is 34 and wants to have a baby. Being the CEO of her own app and COO of a startup, she doesn't have a lot of time to date even if she wanted to. She experienced a terrible breakup when she was eighteen and has been turned of men and relationships ever since. Imagine her surprise when her ex shows up at the clinic where she is undergoing IVF treatments, and, he has to do her examination. Knowing he is back in town, living next door to her parents and has a child, has her spiraling. When she finds out that someone accidentally fertilized her eggs with his sperm, she is horrified. Will they be able to work through co-parenting, knowing how Marissa, aka Mari, feels about John Raikes.

Once I got beyond the accidental insemination, this was a great story. Baby, One More Time is a wonderful enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance. It has just enough humor to keep me smiling, but also deal with the serious issue of IVF, single parents as well as work/life balance. Marissa was a character that I had mixed feelings about. She was smart and independent, but emotionally stunted about something that had happened 16 years ago. There were times I got frustrated with her, but I know, hormones.... John was such a great character. Talk about the perfect man: a doctor, single dad who spends time with his daughter, cooks, takes care of his baby mama and more. The rest of the characters added so much to the story, especially the family members. I did not read the first book in this series, but that was Blair and Gabriel's story, so I didn't need to read it to enjoy this one. Lots of fun banter and humorous situations had me laughing and smiling. This is a rom com, but also has some serious issues to make you think. I definitely recommend this one. Now off to find the first book, Not in a Billion Years.

This was such a sweet book! I loved the characters, and their love story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable.