Daphne has written a book but can’t get it published until she puts a man’s name on it. Then she needs someone to be hi for the book jacket. Enter Chris. ARC from NetGalley.

As a long-time Kelley Armstrong fan, I was THRILLED to receive an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. It did NOT disappoint. Armstrong is talented at everything she writes, I swear. This book was sweet and funny and I sped through it. Daphne pretends to be a dude to get an agent, a book deal, and so much more--but when she succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, that means she needs someone to play her male-self. Enter Chris, who thinks he has to act like who he thinks this author would be--handsome and suave and a bit full of himself. The two soon realize that's not who Chris REALLY is, and they must navigate the waters of pretending to not be themselves while absolutely not falling in love... You know how that goes ;-) This book was AMAZING.

Finding Mr. Write is Kelley Armstrong's first rom-com and if you know me you know I love Armstrong's books. I don't tend to love contemporary rom-coms, but this one was actually funny! It felt like reading one of the classic rom-com movies of the 90s and I enjoyed it so much!

It has epistolary elements (texts).
Pro and con lists, complete with footnotes!
A PowerPoint presentation! 
Absurd situations that had me laughing - the canoe! the grizzly! the train chase!
It has commentary (and criticism!) on the publishing industry. 
It also asks the reader to question how much the author (and their looks and charisma) matter vs the book itself. 
The only thing I found missing was a bit more groveling at the end from Chris.

This is an open(ish) door romance, but it's fairly light on details, focusing more on humor than heat. 

I picked this up when I needed something light and funny and it absolutely gave me that. And if you love the classic 90s RomCom movies I’d definitely give this one a read. It's out June 25, 2024.

Thank you to @readforeverpub for an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is adorable! If you work in the publishing industry, I think you will love it even more!

Pros -
Cute setting
Cute couple
Glimpse inside the publishing world
HEA

Cons -
Would have liked a bit more on-page steam
I need a whole series with these two!

Loved it!!! Highly recommend. Do yourself a favor and grab this book!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

“Finding Mr. Write” by Kelley Armstrong blends lighthearted romance with significant themes, addressing them thoughtfully. Armstrong’s prowess in weaving romance into various genres, from paranormal to mystery, in addition to being a fantastic storyteller, means that it is no surprise that she can successfully write a contemporary romance.

While this genre may not typically appeal to me, this book captivated my interest with its exploration of gender dynamics, racial issues, and insights into the publishing world. It tackles pertinent subjects with dignity yet maintains a sense of humor and engaging characters. It was also really interesting to see the setting in the Yukon, and living a bit off the grid, in a more light-hearted way than the Rockton series.

This is not my favorite of Armstrong’s titles, but it is still a fun book and, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC.

I absolutely enjoyed this rom-com. The male lead was unique and made the book great. There were several times that his antics and "fake" personality had me laughing. This one is going to me my go to romantic comedy recommendation. It was the perfect cone home kick up my feet and relax book after a stressful week.

what a fun curve for Kelley Armstrong. This is not at all like her usual fare, but it is delightful!! it reads like a true rom-com script, I hope someone options it.
The interactions between Daphne and Chris are funny, serious, sexy, sad, and all the in-between. I would love to see more stories, Nia, Gemma, even Lawrence and Sakura!

Finding Mr. Write is a charming but predictable story filled with an enjoyable dose of witty banter. As cute as the story was, I really struggled to connect with the two main characters, Daphne & Chris. Their chemistry felt forced, and there was little depth to their connection. Some of the miscommunication issues these two faced were frustrating to read as they served little purpose to the storyline and only seemed to try to prolong the book. Overall, it was an easy & fast read. Not a bad story considering it’s the author’s first dive into the rom com genre.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Such an adorable romance. I really enjoyed reading this one! Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for the chance to experience this book in advance.

I jumped at the chance to read this book, since I've been a fan of the author for many years. I started with Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series (one of my favorites!) and have read each new Rockton novel of hers as she releases them. I recommend both series.

At first, Finding Mr. Write had me looking to make sure that this Kelley Armstrong is the same author who penned those series mentioned above. Yes, the female protagonist, Daphne McFadden (pen-name Zane Remmington,) is as competent and independent and kickass as those heroines in her other books. However, she also is more conflicted in a rom-com sort of way. She loses her mind a little bit/lot bit when she experiences insta-lust with the mysterious, bumbling, ultra-masculine hottie Chris Hemsworth-clone hired to be the public face of the "author" of her new book. He, in turn, of course, also falls into insta-lust with her. Comedy ensues as he pretends to brave the wilds of Canada's Yukon territory when he must show the world "his" house and way of life, and the novel takes off from there.

Meh. I feel like this book lacked a lot and the writing felt weird and smushed together at times. I wish we got more of a look of their relationship during the press before the book came out instead of a speed run of it through texts. Felt like Chris fell too fast way too soon and it was hard to root for them.

This is a fun and witty rom com. Love the leading line - had to go back and read it twice. Daphne, tired of rejection from trying to get her book published has submitted it under a male pen name and gotten all the recognition it should have gotten in the first place. She now has a conundrum of needing someone to play this male author. Daphne, who has had some real hardships and fallen for some terrible people in the past, is a realistic and likeable character. She took an opportunity and I applaud that. Things get way out of control but hey, that makes for a fun book. I also understand that as an introverted author the concept of talking to people in public has got to be terrifying so having an actor do go out and do it for you could be a tempting thing. Chris is an accountant who made a bad choice trusting an old friend and now has some legal issues to deal with and needs money to avoid bankruptcy. In comes this opportunity to play Zane. I liked how he played Zane even if it too was a bit over the top at times. It was nice that there was such a difference from his real self and this persona he put on because he thought it was what was expected. I enjoyed watching him and Daphne get to learn who each other really were. This was my first read by this author and I had no idea this wasn't their normal genre, that's how easy this read was. I liked the communication between the two a great basis for a potential relationship. Thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

An absolutely wonderful book! It had everything I always want from a romcom: witty banter, a bonkers premise, a steamy connection, and characters you can’t help but fall in love with. I also love a book about books, so that was a huge plus too.
At the beginning I worried the book would be too lighthearted to really pull me in and make me invest in their romance. And boy, was I wrong! Daphne and Chris were both much more than I originally thought. They both had insecurities and fronts they put up. And even when their intentions were pure and good they sometimes would crash and burn in miscommunication. It made them more vulnerable and their love story more realistic. By the end you felt like you finally knew them. And their love story was absolutely worth the wait.
I can’t thank the publisher and Netgalley enough for letting me read this early. And I can’t recommend this one enough, a true delight for fans of Kelley Armstrong’s work over the years and those reading a book by her for the very first time.

Daphne, an architect living in the Yukon, is trying to get her post-apocalyptic YA novel published. She keeps getting rejection letters and wonders if publishing under a different name would. One night, after too much wine, she decides to submit her manuscript under the name Zane Remington and is surprised the manuscript quickly gets picked up by a publisher. Daphne now has a problem, the publisher wants photos of the author and to do interviews with them. Her friend Nia, who is a lawyer, has a simple answer to the problem. Chris, Nia’s new accountant, needs legal help and Nia propositions him. She will help him with his legal issues, and he will pretend to be author Zane Remington. Chris and Daphne disagree over many things except their attraction to one another. So many things go wrong on their literary journey involving bears, porcupines, stalkers, and trains but in the midst of the chaos one thing may go right for them.

I really liked the premise of the book which provides a peak behind an author’s life. This is a mostly closed-door romance, with a few scenes that are a little more detailed (not graphic) than a clean/closed door romance. Dual point of view. Chris is such a cinnamon roll character, he is so sweet and thoughtful. Daphne is a positive FMC with real viewpoints and feelings. I don’t know much about wildlife, but the bear scene had me saying “nope.” Daphne and Chris characters are fully developed. There wasn’t a lot of extra unnecessary knowledge or characters that slow down a story. This was a fun and insightful journey of a fictional authors debut book and everything they have to do to reach readers.

“Finding Mr. Write” was a fun spin on the forced proximity trope with a dash of grumpy versus sunshine characters.

I loved Daphne in the beginning of the book. She comes across as a self-sufficient badass who can handle living in the wilderness on her own. Chris is written as a unicorn of a man: sweet, funny, smart and attractive. The book unfortunately harps on that last quality so much that it becomes painstakingly repetitive and comes across like a cop-out to not give him much character development.

Daphne’s and Chris’ internal dialogues focus mainly on breaking down if they should flirt, how to flirt, commenting on how bad they find themselves at flirting, and wondering if they’re being flirted with. I found it a little boring, and felt it diminished both the characters. Once Daphne becomes smitten with Chris, the fierce qualities I admired in her seemed to vanish.

While I found the flow of some of the plot points to be a bit clumsy, overall the book was a lighthearted, quick read filled with classic romance novel scenes you’d want and expect and a little bit of spice to keep the blood pumping.


Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC!

I thought the concept was so unique for the story line, a writer in need of a face of her book so she can be the ghost writer. I loved Daphne's character. I was confused by the multiple personalities of Chris... so much so it was giving me whiplash. Overall it was a cute read.

This is not my normal genre but Kelley is one of my favorite authors so I went for it. I will say I learned ALOT during this book.
1. Contemporary Romance is really not my thing.
2. We really take for granted our authors and how much they do besides just write stories we love and sign books!

This book started off fun, funny and adorable! I ate through it and was loving it. Then the in person interview/film crew came to her home….all a bit stretched in my opinion but ok they are together in the same place…ok…..now we are heading to a book tour…..this is where I learned a lot but it all felt too perfect. He is a great guy, the talk about everything, the even check each others emails and text to make sure they agree. They are too perfect. Then finally in the last 15-20% of the book the big fight happened. Yet it’s over as soon as it begins.
There just wasn’t much after the beginning that got my motor running for the story until the end. Chris’ PowerPoint melted me.
All in all it was an okay book. Definitely not my favorite but much better than some I have read.

Thank you NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, and Forever for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a sweet, enjoyable romance book about two characters who are facing rejection and troubles in their career fields as a writer and accountant. This is the first book by this author I have read and it didn't disappoint. There were some moments throughout the book that moved at a slow pace but then I felt that it was worth the slow pace to help build up to an important moment for the characters both individually and together.

This was a great read! I loved the banter between Chris and Daphne.....out loud to each other, but also the thoughts in their heads. The idea of a woman who feels that she would be more successful pretending to be a man in the literary world makes me wonder if all women authors have felt that way at some point.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Finding Mr. Write
By @kelleyarmstrongauthor
Advanced Reader Copy from @netgalley
Publisher @grandcentralpub

Kelley Armstrong is one of my auto-buy authors and has been for several years. The Rockton series was my very first but Nadia Stanford, Cainsville and now into Haven’s Rock are excellent!

Romantic Comedy is definitely a new genre for her, but I really liked this one. Both Chris and Daphne are great characters and play off each other well. The pseudonym Zane Remington and the persona created around him is definitely over the top and leads to some funny situations.

Definitely brings up the question of the impression of work done by women vs that of men and the different ways in which they are received.

It’s a bit of a slow burn but very enjoyable!

#bookreview #netgalley #kelleyarmstrong #findingmrwrite #bookrecommendation
#readerofmanythings

Mein Leseerlebnis

Zu “Finding Mr. Write” habe ich gegriffen, da mich das farbenfrohe Buchcover sofort angesprochen hat und sich der Klappentext sehr frisch anhörte. Nach dem Lesen des Liebesromans bin ich froh darüber, der Geschichte eine Chance gegeben zu haben, denn sie hat mir ein gutes, kurzweiliges Leserlebnis geboten.

Die außergewöhnliche Grundidee war spannend und hat für so manch teils skurrile und lustige Situation geführt. Nicht alle Details konnten mich dabei voll überzeugen bzw. wirkten auf mich logisch, aber damit konnte ich beim Lesen gut leben.

Die beiden Hauptcharaktere waren mir sympathisch und ihre Kennenlernphase konnte mich gut unterhalten. Das Buch locker geschrieben, es fiel mir leicht, mich auf den Schreibstil einzulassen.

Die eigentliche Liebesgeschichte war nett, tief berührt hat sie mich allerdings nicht. Dazu hat mir in Bezug auf die beiden Hauptcharaktere etwas gefehlt.

Insgesamt hatte ich mit dem romance Buch aber eine gute Zeit und ich plane mal zu schauen, was Kelley Armstrong in den letzen Jahren so veröffentlich hat. “Finding Mr. Write” ist seit einigen Jahren der erste Roman, den ich von ihr gelesen habe. Vielleicht habe ich in der Zwischenzeit andere, sich gut anhörende Bücher verpasst.

🖤🖤🖤 1/2

Für wen?

Wer humorvolle Liebesromane mit einer frischen Grundidee mag, dem kann ich einen Blick in eine Leseprobe empfehlen. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass viele Leser:innen mit dem Liebesroman eine schöne Zeit haben werden.