Finding Mr. White by Kelley Armstrong makes one thing perfectly clear; this author is able to write superbly in any genre.
This new rom-com by Armstrong is in turns funny, informative, sweet, frustrating - in fact, it hits on every emotion readers have come to expect from the genre. Add to that relatable main characters, who are Canadian to boot, and an in depth look at the publishing industry in general and the challenges women writers encounter in particular, and this book is hard to put down.
I enjoyed every minute of this book and highly recommend it to readers of all genres. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you for the ARC of #FindingMrWrite to #NetGalley.

Finding Mr. Write is a a cute, and quick contemporary romance read. It is something a little different from Kelley Armstrong, who normally does mysteries, horror and paranormal stories with romantic elements built in. It also gives a little of a behind the scenes look at the publishing industry, and for readers that was a nice peek behind the curtain. This book would be perfect for someone looking for a light, and funny romance story. It could easily be marketed as a beach read type of book.

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was fine, but unfortunately just read a bit cheesy and silly to me. It was all very Hallmark but not in a fun way.

This was a cute and funny book. the characters were kept to a minimum and I liked that. The love story was cute, especially since they hated each other at first. At times I felt a lot was going on, but I thought the book overall was good.

I'm a pretty big fan of this author and have read most (if not all) of her backlist. I'm glad she branched out into the romcom genre, as I really liked this novel. I read it in one sitting, easily engaged with the story. and enjoyed seeing the trials and tribulations of Chris and Daphne's relationship.

I think this is. a perfect beach read novel and hope other readers enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I was not expecting a romcom from Kelley Armstrong. Her Rockton/Haven’s Rock is one of my favorite series of all time. I adored this book. I laughed out loud multiple times. Chris is absolutely the best. Daphne is awesome. Read and enjoy.

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors, and was really my introduction to the romance genre beginning with her Otherworld series, so when I saw the chance to get an ARC of her first foray into the rom-com genre I jumped onboard so quickly. This was like the rom-com of all rom-coms for me - I was just smiling from start to finish!

This book hooked me with a banger of a first line - "'I need a penis,' Daphne said." See, Daphne's got a bit of a conundrum - her YA dystopian romance book isn't selling. Well, it wasn't, until she had a wine-related epiphany and decided to tweak her cover letter to focus more on the survivalism aspect and less on the romance. Oh yeah, and submit it under a male pseudonym. Lo and behold, she receives a $500k offer on the book and now the publishers want her to do some press. But how will Daphne, aka Zane Remington, do that? In steps hired 'actor' Chris. After a rather delightful meet-cute misunderstanding, Daphne & Chris team up to tackle this grande facade.

I loved both MCs. Daphne is competent, savvy, and a badass living off-grid in the Yukon. Chris is...not that. He's totally out of his depth with this assignment which makes for some hilarious interactions during the beginning of their relationship. He's basically the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude! While he may not be the outdoorsy Zane Remington, he is the perfect book boyfriend - he's thoughtful, funny, glowed up from geek to chic during college but still identifies as the geek, and he bakes.

While Chris bumped up his resume to accept the position as Zane Remington, I was happy that didn't keep this from Daphne for too long, as it helped solidify their relationship, allowing them to become quick friends, and soon to be lovers. They have excellent chemistry, and while I was slightly miffed about the choice to fade to black, it didn't make me like it any less because them just being together and interacting was enough for me. I mean:

"He took her hands in his. "I'm not asking you to commit to anything. I Just need you to be open to the idea that this is more than a fling...nothing can be certain. That'd be like writing a book and deciding it's going to be an instant bestseller. But you wrote it in hopes it would be the start of something real. A possible new direction for your life...that's all this is, our first chapter. Pen to paper with the hope of finishing the story." He met her gaze. "Do you want to start a story with me, Daphne?""

It was also fun to see the reverse side of the writing/publishing world, especially knowing that Kelley has gone through this herself. She manages to still touch on some hard truths surrounding sexism, racism, and internalized misogyny while keeping the balance of of a good-natured rom-com.

While there is a sort-of 3rd act breakup stemming from some miscommunication (my least favourite trope), it's actually handled like the adults they are (!) which I appreciated.

All in all, this was a quick, easy read with dynamic characters, witty banter, and a fabulous Yukon backdrop. Kudos, Kelley - keep the rom-coms coming!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story! the character development is a roller coaster in this story in the best possible way! Chris and Daphne are not who they may appear to be in the first couple chapters— they have many layers that are slowly peeled back through the whole story. Chris is a deeply sweet, kind, and silly hero who is the perfect pairing to Daphne’s strong and shy lifestyle. I loved the original plot and subplots happening here, as Chris is hired to play the writer that Daphne has penned in her writing career. I could see the intentional and nuanced way this whole arrangement was handled from both characters perspective which contributed deeply to the layered aspects of the characters.

I really loved both Chris and Daphne: their developing connection, their individual character arcs and emotions, and their overall goodness made their story so consuming and lovely to read. seeing their relationship bloom was so special to read, and their happily ever after was so special.

I flew through this book and can’t wait to buy when it comes out! thank you for the arc :)

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Finding Mr. Write is the first rom com by this author. This one was a little hard to get in to. I struggled to connect with the characters. The large amount of text messages in the beginning of the story made it hard for me to focus and the story didn't flow as well when I was reading. I attribute this as to part of the reason why it was hard to be fully invested. However the story was still cute and enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kelley Armstrong is well known for her fantasy and thrillers, but this is her first foray into rom-coms. For a first try, it was pretty good! She did lean into the miscommunication trope, especially towards the end, which is not my favorite. However, I enjoyed Chris and Daphne and the setting especially, plus the premise is not something I've seen before. The ending felt rather abrupt since the first half was so detailed.

I was intrigued by the inside look at the publishing industry; I'm a librarian so I have some knowledge of how things happen, but there was a lot I didn't know. I can FULLY believe that a book would sell better with a male pseud because I see it every day as a children's librarian - parents and some kids (mostly parents of boys or boys themselves) won't read a book because the protagonist is a girl. It's so frustrating to see, and I'm sure it frustrating for female authors to know that their work is sometimes perceived as less solely because it was written by a woman.

As much as I wanted to love this from the title and description alone, unfortunately, I didn't. It's a slow-burn romance (mostly closed door) that reads veryyyyy slowly. I just didn't vibe with it. And the writing just felt OK, like nothing special that had me ferociously turning the page. And the HEA felt a bit forced and in no way where the characters were at from my POV. And from the author's postscript, yeah it's no wonder why she isn't used to writing rom-coms -- that is painfully clear. There were no indulgent tropes or anything like that. It was just like, meh. And for me, that last chapter took way to long to get to.

I'm not minimizing the author's effort because I know and get how insanely hard to write a full-length book, get an agent and a publishing deal. So, applaud her for that But as a story? This just wasn't it in my brutally honest opinion. I didn't connect with the material at all, which is not what I look for in a great book. So, respectfully I'm closing the book on "Finding Mr. Write" and leaving it on the shelf.

Daphne and Zane (Chris) take a book tour to remember. I laughed out loud, stayed up late to read and really enjoyed their journey. Armstrong did a great job with this book and I was surprised to learn that RomComs aren't her normal genre. I appreciated that this book wasn't super predictable and well developed characters. Now I need to go explore the Yukon!

This is a cute romance about a woman proving that men get further just based on being male. When her book is bought after she puts a male name on it, she hires an "actor" to play the author. Hijinks ensue.

The dual points of view stole some of the mystery from the love story but all in all it was cute.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the eARC!

I was so excited for this one, but it missed the mark. The leads didn't feel fully fleshed out, and I found the MMC’s various personas hard to follow. There were just too many things going on throughout the story, culminating in an unnecessary (and quickly solved) third-act breakup.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

Thank you to Forever for the ARC of Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong. All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book is great, and I think I could really picture an author doing this in real life (although maybe not to that extent).

I enjoyed the first half of this book a lot more than the second half. Chris was funny, and I loved reading about him and Daphne in her home territory.

The second half of the story wasn’t bad, but I didn’t like how spicy it got, and I thought the conflict was kind of stupid. Considering that they were both adults, they both acted kind of immature. I also just really don’t like it when characters jump to conclusions.

My favorite character was Chris because he was just really sweet and awkward.

Overall, I enjoyed a lot of the story, but I would only recommend it to certain people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for a digital ARC of Finding Mr. Write.

This was a fun read! Unique premise that kept me wondering what the characters were going to do next and how they were going to handle the situation. I loved the MMC. I liked the FMC too, but really loved how nice the MMC was. I didn't think it was funny, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Sometimes it got a bit repetitive, and the character's thoughts were a little young, but I would still read another book by the author.

This is an easy beach read with big, over the top rom com energy. As Armstrong’s first foray into the romance genre, it’s funny and cute, ticking most of the boxes for a solid if not spectacular summer romance. The premise was a bit tricky for me to buy into, BUT I enjoyed the commentary in gender bias/privilege in publishing.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I love everything Kelley Armstrong writes, so I was exchanged to read her first foray into rom-coms. I loved Daphne. I love how she knows who she is and what she wants and learns to open herself up to love as she gets more involved with Chris.

I’m not a writer, but I feel like the concept of getting a book published under a man’s name is probably not too far fetched unfortunately. Of course, a bunch of shenanigans occur that makes the whole affair fun to read about, and also left me wanting to read more each night to find out how it was going to be settled. It was definitely a lesser kind of suspense than I normally feel when reading her books! I really enjoyed it and look forward to other rom coms if she decides to write more!

When I realized Kelley Armstrong had done a rom com, I had to double check it was THE Kelley Armstrong I love! A rom com!?!
Firstly, the description of the Yukon and all these amazing places made me feel like I was there. Daphne as our main female character was believable, inspirational and so funny. Chris as our main male was charming, funny, romantic and adorably dorkable. I couldn’t out this book down. I loved the look into women authors and how hard it is to get taken seriously like the male authors, how they are often pushed aside or put into categories they don’t want to be in. I hope Kelley writes more rom coms!!

I really wanted to love this book, but it fell short for me. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters and I didn’t fully believe the love story. I wasn’t eager to keep reading and finish the book. Just wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate it. It was fine.