Member Reviews

Marissa is a successful career-driven, independent female, but waiting for Mr . Right is taking too long. But with advanced medical science today, she is a woman who can have it all, and choose to go through IVF with a sperm donor.

However, how awkward can things get when it is her high school ex-boyfriend, turned doctor, who has to give her a pelvic exam?

This is such a cute novel as John went out of his way to prove to Marissa that he has changed. As the reader you also can’t help but like this character, and wish him the best.

I love Marissa’s independence but I wanted her to let her guard down, which she does and you know it’s the outcome everyone wants.

This was an enemy to lovers-and second-chance romance trope which is well worth the read if you like this type of trope.

Was this review helpful?

Camilla Isley - Baby One More Time.

This is book two in Camilla Isley’s True Love series.
I must admit I haven’t read book one, but I certainly will be doing so.
Baby One More Time was easily read as a standalone book, but parts of it would have had more impact had I read its predecessor.
So, as always, I’d say read a series in order to get the most from the author’s hard work.

#BabyOneMoreTime is a second chance, enemies to lovers story.

Poor Marissa, all she wants is a baby, but the man who she hopes will be able to help her to achieve her dream, turns out to be the very same man who broke her heart.

I did enjoy this book very much. It’s properly laugh out loud funny and even induced a few snorty laughs too.

This is a light and easy read. A fun story with lots of heart and humour.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources, Netgalley and Boldwood for a digital arc of this title.

Was this review helpful?

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

Although I enjoyed the writing style I just did not like John from the moment he arrived. I got to chapter nine and I could not go on. He just annoyed me for reasons unknown. I would however try another Camilla Isley novel because I did enjoy most of chapters 1-9

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was just what I needed and expected!
It was soo much fun. A hilarious second chance novel that I loved quite a lot!

Was this review helpful?

This book blew me away! It started with what would have to be one of the most mortifying moments, having your high school ex-boyfriend be the one who has to give you a pelvic exam as you are getting ready to do IVF. I mean, just wow. I’m so bad I prefer to go to women doctors for that anyway! But it was impossible when we got John’s side to not fall in love with him and his daughter. Especially since we didn’t know exactly how he’d broken up with her in high school on prom night and what made it so impossible for Marissa to forgive him or even be able to move on with any relationships.

I loved how John set about proving to her he was changed. And then something big happened, that I won’t say what, because it’s a major spoiler and major change in plans for Marissa and her IVF. But oh my gosh, it was so crazy! But perfect in a way too. I was left with so many parts that made me laugh out loud, as well as a lot of emotional parts. I loved the family interactions, as well as the banter between Mari and John.

The scene where Mari’s big secret comes out to her family, the being pregnant as well as what I alluded to in my last paragraph was hilarious and so so perfect. And then there was Marissa’s best friend Blake, who was the character in the first book in this series, which I haven’t read yet. But I am guessing from what happened that we kind of get this story slightly aligned time-wise for part of it. Blake and her significant other Gabriel made even more perfect characters for this whole story to piggy-back on or spin off of into its own directions. So much I really need to go back and read it, even if I’m not always a big billionaire romance reader.

In the end, even with the craziness and the whimsicality of some situations, I feel like the author made a lot of “real” choices for the characters in how they behaved and reacted to things when all the pieces finally started to settle into place. This may end up being one of my favorites of the year, and cements Camilla Isley as one of my favorite romance authors these days!

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Camilla Isley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have well and truly fallen in love with Camilla’s books. This one was absolutely hilarious! It wasn’t super predictable like most romances these days and I loved the special bond between Nora and Marissa.

I can’t wait to read the next book by Camilla!

The only let down in this was at times it was a little too slow paced for my liking and there were times I felt the information was irrelevant.

Was this review helpful?

Love the second chance romance trope and super duper love that there wasn’t a third act breakup. Love the male main character SO much! I did, however, feel hesitant for the first 30% of the book because of how much Marissa hates this exboyfriend. Did it end terribly and cause trauma? Of course! But she can’t say his name, the family can’t mention him 16 years later and she’s still white hot with rage? Hmmmmm….i felt sad for her that she is such a boss entrepreneur in her professional life but can’t get mental health support to deal with something almost 2 decades ago.

Was this review helpful?

A cute rom com that follows the story of Marissa and John who were childhood sweethearts until he broke her heart. Sixteen years later they meet again under slightly strange circumstances and fate conspires to bring them together.

This was an easy, enjoyable read with some twists and turns which certainly made me chuckle.

I’d recommend this to any rom com lover!

Was this review helpful?

I love the premise of the plot: Marissa’s eggs get accidentally fertilized by her ex boyfriend’s sperm.
The events leading up to that are funny and cringy. I thought I would lose it with the brown smudge scene.
Marissa is afraid to be vulnerable because if a deep past hurt, that I think she carried a bit too far.
Dr. Dishy knows he made a huge mistake and says and does all the right things toward Marissa.
She just needed to jump…… on him!
It’s an enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

Driven and smart, Marissa Mayer has worked her way to COO at a major Fintech startup as well as launching her own successful app on the side. Now what she wants more than anything is a baby. And having given up on love after her heart was broken by the boy next door, she’s prepared to do it alone.

Recently returning to New York from LA, Dr John Raikes is an expert in his field of neonatal medicine. But when John introduces himself as Marissa’s doctor, sparks fly, and not in a good way. Because Dr John Raikes is no stranger: he’s her teenage sweetheart all grown up.

Marissa knows she should keep John at arm’s length, lest she have her heart broken again... But there’s something about a man in a white coat. And with John determined to show Marissa he’s changed, can she keep saying no when her heart is saying yes?

A gorgeously funny enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom com, perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Lynn Painter and Jo Watson.

#babyonemoretime #bolddwoodbloggers #bookreview #romance #secondchanceromance

Was this review helpful?

Marissa is an independent woman who has waited for Mr. right so she could have the baby she’s always wanted and since Mr. Wright seems to be running late she decides to go ahead and medical assistance getting impregnated. The only problem is the clinic she picks is the one her ex John is a partner at. Needless to say after one mishap and another they continue to run into each other she still angry and he is nice and pleasant… Something that only infuriates Marissa more. When he was 18 he broke her heart but now he’s back is a single dad to six-year-old Nora can he win back Marissa‘s affection or is there any justification for ghosting someone who loves you? I love this authors romance series and find her books so funny but having said that I do want to say that whole thing with the chocolate to me was just gross I could’ve totally lived without that. Moving on I cannot resist a book with a single dad a cute six year old I do think I’ll ever Marissa was a little too angry but I did like her and once again laughed so much throughout this whole book especially at the taco shop. I want to thank Boldwood books and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Was this review helpful?

Marissa Mayer is a busy career woman working as the COO of a large corporation and running her secret app program on the side. She could use this as an excuse for why she hasn't met the right guy, but the truth is that she was broken and lost her trust after the boy next door abandoned her with no reason on prom night. She's running out of time to start a family so she decides to start IVF treatment with a donor. Much to her dismay, the doctor filling in for one of her crucial treatments is none other than her ex and there's no chance to postpone. After their awkward encounter and several other run ins at the clinic, John realizes he's still in love with her but he has a long way to go to earn her trust again, especially when unexpected circumstances connect them in a whole new way.
This was a great follow up to the first book in the series, Not in a Billion Years, and those characters play a big part in this book too. I love how strong, steady, and patient John is with Marissa even when she takes the hot/cold treatment to the extreme. How he is with his young daughter Nora is so sweet and she just stole the show in every scene she was in! I'm hoping the hint of Thomas and his super smart crush lads to a third book in the series?!!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to love this book more than I actually did. I find myself to be in Marissa’s shoes in my life-35 years old and wanting a family before it’s too late. But this book is just really far fetched. From the mishaps at the clinic to the 6 year old who talks like a teen/adult. Marissa honestly gave me whiplash with how much she hates John one minute but jumps right into wanting to have sex with him. It was hard to follow.

I love the idea of this story and I believe it has potential but didn’t hit the mark for me. Thank you for the ARC for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A fantastic light read, a true rom-com, funny and engaging. John is back 16years to late after leaving Marissa on prom night. I enjoyed Marissa stood her ground and kept John at arm's length, but he slowly crept back into her heart. The IVF process and the mishap afterwards was well written, a great overview of how IVF is done. There could have been a bit more detail/description on Marissa's aftereffects of the shots she gave herself.
There was also Nora, John's six year old daughter talked like she was older, she was very cute but she spoke and was spoken to like she was a teen and I kept forgetting she was just six.

Was this review helpful?

"Baby, One More Time" was fine, but oh man, the ethics violations! I never quite know when to suspend my disbelief with these sorts of things, but many things that happened in "Baby, One More Time" took me out of the book a little, in addition to general issues with the plotting.

I will say, romance novels with pregnancy storylines get a bad rap because of the general dislike of the accidental pregnancy trope. However, I really do appreciate romance novels that have representation of single parents, pregnant people, people experiencing infertility, and people seeking alternative pathways to parenthood. I want to give this book props for that.

However, there were so many medical ethics violations in this book and also possible some insider trading? Even besides the whole donor mix up thing (which Marissa would have been well within her rights to sue the clinic for), there are several times that John uses his employment at the clinic to view Marissa's medical records which is definitely not kosher.

In addition, the plot of "Baby, One More Time" left much to be desired. I'm not sure I ever fully understood John's motivations for what happened when they were in high school nor do the two characters ever really talk about it. John and Marissa both have interesting things happening outside of their relationship (John's research, Marissa's work life), but neither of these things are really explored.

Did this book have potential? Sure. But I'm not sure it was quite where it needed to be.

2.5 stars.

Thank you Boldwood Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun, easy read where the characters really develop and grow and you end up really rooting for their happiness! I loved Nora, so outspoken, honest and kind. As always with this author I couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished it because her story’s make you feel so emotionally invested! I also liked that characters and storylines from other books overlap!

Was this review helpful?

Camilla Isley is fast becoming my favourite 'enemies-to-lovers' rom com writer! I am pleased to confirm that Baby, One More Time does not disappoint!

Marissa Mayer is a hard working, successful career woman - you could say that she has it all. Except that she doesn't - yet. After having her heart broken by the boy next door she has little interest in being in relationship and falling in love, but she want a family of her own, and she is more than happy to tread that path alone.

Dr John Raikes is back in New York after years of living in LA. With a divorce behind him, and a young daughter in tow, he is ready to rebuild his life. What he doesn't expect is to bump into the girl next door who he abandoned all those years ago. He certainly doesn't expect to bump into her at work, and find her planning her future family.

This is a classic enemies-to-lovers novel. Marissa of course wants nothing to do with John after he broke her heart so badly. She has become such an independent woman, and incredibly successful in her career but she keeps her heart locked away so as never to hurt again as she did when John left her. Seeing him again brings back all the pain that she thought she had dismissed from her life. John however feels guilty for his treatment of Marissa and is keen to seek her forgiveness. Finding themselves thrown together in the most unexpected of ways, can they move beyond what happened to them in the past?

Marissa is such a great female character - the pain she feels after what John did to her is explicit, but her subsequent success is a positive force to read about. Whilst she has been keen to avoid relationships, it's good to read about a female character who has used that pain to create a successful life for herself. She hasn't spending the years moping, and for that I'm glad!

I am more than happy to recommend this novel to you - in fact I think you should grab a copy of this along with a couple from Camilla Isley's back catalogue to see how an enemies-to-lovers novel should be written! So tuck yourself away, grab a glass of wine and lose yourself in Baby, One More Time!

Was this review helpful?

What a lovely surprise this was! Second chance romance, with a medical twist. What I loved about this one is that it touches on important topics like single parenthood which isn’t talked about usually in books. Not only was it the perfect length for a romance, it was kept simple and not over complicated which made for a lovely reading experience. It was cute, and it just worked! We follow Marissa, a workaholic who is trying to have a baby - and in the clinic she encounters her High-school sweetheart who did something bad. A decade and a half later - a visit to the fertility clinic leads the reader through an adventure!

Was this review helpful?

As soon as you read this title, you sing the Britney song, right? No? It's just me

I love when books are named after pop songs.

Camilla Isley is definitely one of my must read romcom authors. I loved this enemies to lovers story, made even better with a single dad and his adorable daughter.

If you like LOL moments with a great cast of characters, don't miss out on this one

Was this review helpful?

“We don’t do simple. Simple isn’t fun.”

Camilla Isley doesn’t not disappoint. She has a way with words and her books are the quintessential rom coms.

This was hilarious from start to finish. I finished it in less than 12 hours. It was fun, engaging and interesting.

This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the first, Not in a Billion Years, as it is equally enjoyable. It was nice catching up with Gabriel and Blake.

I love the dual narrative. It allowed for the main characters to tell their own experiences and gave an insight into what happened in the past.

I love how the author portrayed the intricacies of the IVF process, highlighting the plight that women face when trying to have a child.

The plot dragged in some places and the story would have benefited by being some fewer pages/chapters shorter.

You have to suspend belief when you read this as there are over the top things that happened in it which I don’t want to get into.

I’m looking forward to reading Thomas’ story and also I feel Amada might feature more in later books.

I received an advanced copy via Netgalley and the review is mine and voluntary.

Was this review helpful?