Member Reviews
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I adore Kelley Armstrong, and have been keeping up with several of her series (mostly her time-travel historical fiction ones). Whereas she's written some novels that have hinted at romance, this is her first rom-com, and I think it was pretty great. Her characters were great and the plot moved along at a good pace. It's probably a 3.5/5 stars for me. I think the only reason it's not higher is because although good, it didn't wow me like other books in the genre. I would put her up there with Katherine Center and Emily Henry, though, in her ability to make really likeable and relatable characters.
I would give this 3.75 stars!
The writing definitely felt like I was reading a romantic comedy! Daphne McFadden writes a book under a male pseudonym, making it Zane Remington’s first debut novel! Chris, an accountant, agrees to disguise himself as Zane to fix his personal legal problems. The author debut spiraled into something bigger, and Daphne and Chris had to face that together.
I felt like there was a lot going on in this book that slowly dissolved with no explanation. For instance, Daphne’s neighbor Robbie was mentioned a few times and then he disappeared. I didn’t get to hear much from Nia, Daphne’s friend that was helping Chris with his legal issues. However, I thought the plot of the book was really interesting. I just wish some pages were cut short.
This was my first time reading anything from Kelley Armstrong, and I’m not sure if I’m a fan of her writing style. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like I was reading a rom-com (nothing necessarily wrong with that), but the sentences were too short and choppy for me to enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review!
I liked the premise of this book and enjoyed the characters and the story overall, but something didn't quite hit for me in the way romcoms usually do. The writing was done well. It was a quick, fun read overall.
This was so much fun. I enjoyed so much this story of Daphne the author who has to hire a down on his luck accountant as the face of her pen name. Success leads them to extended and forced togetherness which is romance reader magic. It was light and funny and just heated enough to make me invested. The middle slowed down some for me, but the set up and pay off made it worth the wait.
Loved the flirty chemistry between the MCs, there was mutual attraction with a bit of tension. The humor! Loved the descriptive setting and the journey of an author after their book is successful.
This book was super fun and it just felt like the author had a really fun time writing it! I love books about authors, writing, and the publishing industry, and a book about a woman who sells a book under a man's pseudonym and then hires a man to play the author behind the pen name (and falls in love with him in the process) definitely fits that bill. I appreciated all the ups and downs, both internal and external, and the way Daphne and Chris both grew in order to resolve their differences. A delightful and charming romcom!
I've read Armstrong's books before and always enjoy them--but they're usually thrillers or horror. This is a cute rom-com and it's done well. Daphne is an independent woman who happens to have written an awesome YA dystopian novel but can't get it published until she assumes a pseudonym as a man. She hires Chris to be that man. They connect when they are being their real selves. There are lots of conflicts but I like that they discuss them and solve them together (most of them). They're kind of dorky together and it's adorable. It's just a sweet, lovable story with healthy conflict resolution. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC
I loved this book, everything about it was perfection, we have Daphne who is trying to break into the novelist world, this book that she wrote is very special to her and she decided that instead of using her name she will use a pen name to see if it will get her far enough. And it did, but now her publicist and team, which some know she’s the true author, want to create these book tours and viewings and that was not part of the plan. Well her friend suggested hiring someone to play the part of author and she knew just the right person.
Chris is literally sexy geek personified, because he is just EVERYTHING I love to read about in romance novels, funny, smart, considerate, he checked all the boxes in the physical looks as well, and she thought everything is going to work out, but then he goes viral, and then we have those social media sleuths who will stop at nothing. I loved how Chris was there for her through it all, and with a little encouragement he helped her stand by her novel and change the pen name to her own name.
This book was so inspiring to me, because at times we fear doing the things that we love or want to do, and even with the doubt you have someone by your side who won’t doubt you and believes in you.
Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Finding Mr Write by Kelley Armstrong
Romance, romantic comedy.
Daphne McFadden is tired of rejections for her YA zombie survivalist novel. Changing the cover sheet slightly, she resubmits it using a man’s name. Big money comes calling and her book is being published. Slight problem, she needs a super macho man to use as the face on the back cover. The book surpasses expectations and her little “no public tour” clause now needs a live actor to pose as author. Chris Stanton agrees to play the part of Zane Remington, Yukon, off-the-grid macho man. It’s an acting job. A persona he can fake part time. Being around Daphne full time, has him falling head over heels for her. He needs to slow his hopes and dreams down and figure out how to impress the woman for real. How hard could it be?
A fun romantic comedy about a woman, writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public.
Exhilarating, joyful, and absolutely dreamy.
😭 I was a sobbing mess through the last 15% of the book. Not sad. Emotional in a heartbreaking and wonderful repairing way. In a “found the love of your life” kind of way and now have to figure out how to make it right. Chris screws up. Not intentionally. His trying to manage and fix everything is delicate and delicious. He wants to make sure to support her. To do what she wants and what is best for her. He’s such a geek. An accounting geek that I loved so much. A PowerPoint!
The walking around naked part didn’t hurt either. 😊
Please, please, author. I know this was your first official “rom com” but I will pay good money to read more. Betting I’m not alone on the score.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I have bought all formats of this book to keep and revisit and will buy many copies to share with my various book club friends.
A chartered accountant (aka CPA), math geek hero!
I liked the characters. Both MMC and FMC had strong attributes. However I didn't really like the plot and struggled to finish it. I understand the direction it was going but as someone that's has read about 500 books in the past 3 years and literally 1 of them was from a male author, I thought the idea of having to have a man pretend to write the book for the women author to be successful was alittle silly.
FINDING MR. WRITE was the right book at the right time for me. After a couple of heavy, gut wrenching reads, this book was exactly the level of lighthearted frivolity I needed, even while it was somewhat predictable. Kelley Armstrong's main characters, Daphne and Chris/Zane, were generally likable and had good chemistry. I enjoyed their interactions and the banter kept the mood of the book enjoyable.
Daphne has written a post apocalyptic zombie novel with a female teenage protagonist, but she can't generate any interest in the publishing world. Feeling defeated and a bottle of wine later, she submits her novel again, but this time pretending to be a man - a man named Zane Remington to be exact. To her surprise the book sells. Not only does it sell, but it sells for a ridiculous sum of money. Suddenly her agent and publisher are putting together book tours and interview schedules. There's only one problem - Daphne McFadden is not Zane Remington. Rather than come clean, Daphne hires who she thinks is an actor to play Zane, except she really hired an accountant named Chris Stanton to pretend to be an actor named Zane Remington who is pretending to have written the novel currently sitting at the top of the bestseller list. Phew. That's a lot of pretending. You just know this is going to blow up at some point.
Daphne and Chris feel an immediate attraction which grows as they spend time together. One of the things I liked most about them as a couple is their ability to talk to each other and collaborate which is why the ridiculous third act break up caused by the dreaded miscommunication baffled and frustrated me so. WHAT?!?!? Where did that come from? It was so far out of left field and contrary to the way the characters had been presented throughout the book. Ignoring that, this was a fun read that delivered the promised happy ever after ending that soothed my soul and made me smile.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
I absolutely loved this story!
Daphne is a writer who was struggling to get her book picked up by an agent, and one day decides to submit it under a male name to see what happens. The next thing she knows she has a half a million dollar deal for her book and is trying to figure out what to do about her male pseudonym.
Chris is the guy she hires to pose for author photos for her book.
What happens when the book hits number one on the New York Times bestseller list and Chris has to go on tour as the writer of Daphne’s book?
This book is a little spicy, but not a lot and super funny!
I loved the premise of this book but, unfortunately, the follow through fell flat for me. I struggled to get invested in Daphne, Chris, or their relationship.
Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC.
I enjoyed the premise of this story with Daphne publishing a book as a man and then hiring Chris to be Zane Remington. I really enjoyed Daphne and Chris together and their banter and chemistry was great.
I thought the story brought up some interesting points as it relates to publishing and authors and what they want to share. I am sure with social media, how an author interacts with fans, impacts their sales.
Chris was a great character he was so thoughtful and I love that he baked.
Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for a copy of this book.
This was a delightful rom-com that proved Kelley is a versatile author! Even in a world without any fantasy aspects, Kelley was able to breathe so much magic into Daphne and Chris’s relationship :)
I so wanted to love this one- I loved the setting - the Yukon - I liked the overall plot and I really enjoyed the email exchanges in the beginning ; but there was just something lacking for me .. so I just liked it 🤷🏼♀️ Then again I’m not a huge rom com fan although I do like to read them sometimes .
Author Daphne uses the male-sounding pen name Zane Remington to land a book deal. To maintain the charade, she hires former actor Chris to impersonate Zane. As the media attention intensifies, Chris is soon out of his depth—navigating the dangers of the wilderness, a devoted fan base, and his growing feelings for Daphne. When their secret is at risk of being exposed, it jeopardizes their relationship and Daphne’s career.
This was a fun rom com with likable characters. They make mistakes along the way, but they’re respectful and do their best to make things right.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Kelley Armstrong can do it all! She's become one of my autoread authors no matter the genre she's writing in. Finding Mr. Write was a cute rom-com about an author who is sick of getting rejected and finally submits her novel to her publisher under a male name. What follows is a mess of lies and a budding relationship. There was a lot going on to follow (the main character Chris had many personalities), and it didn't feel like Daphne and Chris weren't hashed out as deeply as some characters Armstrong writes. Despite that, this is still a fun read, and I'll continue to read everything she writes! A huge thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the advanced e-copy!
I don't usually read romances but I do often read Kelley Armstrong. This is why. I am not into this formulaic and shallow stuff. The characters were cardboard and the story inconsequential. I should know better. Fine for what it was.
I loved this so much that I binged it in a day. Such a fun take on a romcom, with fun little writing tidbits for everyone who’s had the displeasure of considering drastic measures while querying. I found myself smiling through this book and gasping at the end at a publisher’s suggestion (iykyk, and how dare). I would definitely read more romcoms from Kelley Armstrong if she chose to write them.