A sweet, predictable story that I found a little boring. There wasn’t anything really wrong with it… it was just that I was 75% through and not much had happened and I skimmed my way to the end.

Thank you so much for letting me read the ARC copy of this book!

Pros:
Overall, this was a cute read. I do love a good fake dating trope and this book put a fun twist on it. It was a quick read and would be perfect for a beach read.

Cons:
I could not connect to the main characters, they felt very 2 dimensional and I did not find myself pulled into the story. Some of the sub characters felt unnecessary.

I thought this was great! It was a fun not so serious rom com that kept a nice pace with good writing and just enough tension to make it last! Absolutely loved that it didn't have the typical romance trops in it and that the guy fell first this time. Super cute, 4 stars!

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was excited to see a romcom from Kelly Armstrong, as I am a huge fan of her women of the underworld series, as well as her horror, and other works. Everything I read by the author is excellent, and this one did not disappoint.

Daphne, an architect and new writer, decides to publish her book using a male pseudonym. She decides to hire an actor to play the author for meet and greet and interviews. She gets more than she bargained for when she hires Chris who is really an accountant.

This was a wonderful, slow burn romance with some humor. I love that we got a glimpse into the world of publishing and book tours, etc. It was an easy read with great characters, fun adventures, and just a little spice. I hope that there is more romance to come from Kelly Armstrong.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.]---------------------
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars for this one but decided to round up. Armstrong is a talented writer. I really like the plot of this book: a female author keeps getting rejection letters until she submits her manuscript with a focus on zombies (instead of romance) and under a male pseudonym. It feels very realistic (female authors sometimes go by their initials to appeal to male readers). 
There's a little bit of spice but it's mostly closed door. This book is a slowwww burn (which I never mind because it gives the characters the chance to get to know each other). Daphne and Chris are great at communicating until suddenly they're not. I got whiplash from the miscommunication in the third act because it felt out of character for these two.

There's a subplot with Daphne's neighbor that all but gets forgotten. The reader has no closure whatsoever. When Zane's identity is about to be leaked, we don't know if it's tied to that or someone random. Does the neighbor just go quietly into the night without getting what he wants?
Aside from the above points, I did enjoy the book. I wanted to keep reading to find out how they would get out of the mess they had gotten themselves into. It was very easy to root for Daphne and Chris.

4/5 stars. I absolutely love Kelley Armstrongs previous books and I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Kelley Armstrong for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Daphne is the architect turned author of an apocalyptic zombie survivalist tale featuring a teenaged female protagonist and a love story. Turns out no one wants to publish it until she repackages the blurb and herself. As a dude. Then she’s offered a publishing deal and an ungodly sum.

Fine. She’ll use a pen name, Zane Remington, and pretend she’s a guy.

But when the publisher expects Zane to show up for a publicity tour, Daphne panics and hires a guy to play Zane.

Enter Chris Stanton, charming, rakish, outdoorsy looking dude who needs the money after an accounting partnership went bad and he ended up broke. Yes. In real life he’s a math nerd. Anyway, how hard can it be?

So Daphne and Chris meet at her home in the Yukon where she gives him pointers and flushes pink at the thought of kissing him. Just a quick, no commitment roll in the hay. Chris on the other hand dreams of weddings and babies with the author.

But in this three ring circus of confused and hidden identities, what will happen when someone discovers the truth?

This one doesn’t work for me. The writing is good but the plot is convoluted and confusing at times, frustrating at others. The subplot involving a disgruntled neighbor whose niece threatens to reveal their identities feels like…well, you read that sentence. The worst of it, though, comes with the third act break up, when two characters who previously had done a fine job communicating suddenly act like the Laurel and Hardy of communication. It makes no sense, the perceived mistakes in what they say to one another. Honestly, I was annoyed.

Chris is a charmer, Daphne is a fair foil, I just think these two kids need some revisions to their story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC to read and review. Available June 25, 2024.

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

This romantic comedy follows Daphne and her journey to becoming a successful author.... with a catch. When she sells her book to a publisher under the pseudonym Zane Remington, she needs to hire the perfect actor to play him (enter Chris Stanton). Chris is an accountant from Vancouver that is dealing with some legal troubles and decides to do his lawyer a favor by auditioning to play Zane. Daphne and Chris slowly start to kindle a romance until a threat to expose who Zane really is sends Daphne's world crashing down.

I really loved this book. The interesting plot mixed with the slowburn romance and amazing setting in the Yukon was *chefs kiss*. This book had me laughing and really rooting for the two main characters.

Also features a little bit of fake dating which is one of my all time favorite tropes. Mainly closed door but there is some ~spice~.

Overall a great book! 4/5 stars.

ARC Review for Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

I loved getting to know our Main Characters! I was so invested in the emotional growth of both of them from beginning to end.

Daphne McFadden - Our leading lady is a kickass novelist that lives in the wilderness of the Yukon. Daphne is self-sufficient, smart, capable and a dog mom to Tika. She's also working through past trauma that you learn about through the story. She wrote At The Edge of the World but wasn't getting any bites for her manuscript so she decided to submit it under a male pseudonym. The interest in the book generated so much fire that she realized she wanted to hire an actor to play the part of Zane Remington.
Chris Stanton (aka Chris Aimsworth the "actor," bka Zane Remington, At The Edge of the World's "author.") - Chris is an accountant and was a client of Daphne's best friend who happens to be a lawyer, Nia. He really needed Daphne's job offer to stay afloat in Vancouver due to a messy legal issue. The real Chris is thoughtful, bakes amazing brownies, and describes himself as shy and awkward. He's a totally different person while playing the "roles" of Chris Aimsworth and Zane Remington.

My favorite setting in the book was when they were at Daphne's home in the Yukon. As someone that calls Alaska home it felt so comforting and magical (plus I loved that part of At The Edge of The World's setting is in Alaska!). There were several parts in the book where I genuinely laughed out loud, like when they first met in person (a case of mistaken identity) and during wildlife encounters in the wilderness.

This was a very slow burn romance due to hesitations and interruptions and I REALLY wish the spice happened a lot sooner than it did, but when it finally happened it was hot and spicy.

I really enjoyed what felt like getting a behind the scenes look of writing, publishing, and touring. It loooow key reminded me of The Lost City with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, haha. I hope you all enjoy reading Finding Mr. Write as much as I did!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this Finding Mr. Write.

I had such high hopes for this book and WOW, it did not disappoint. Kelley Armstrong did it again!

Daphne McFadden is a writer struggling to get her first book published. She decides to submit it under a male pseudonym (after a little too much wine and countless rejections), and finally gets her book deal. Only problem is shes not a who she said she was.

Now comes the love interest, Chris, Daphne’s best friend, Nia’s, accountant who needs the cash and the legal help Nia will provide him. He starts posing as Zane Remington for interviews but as the book becomes more popular, they are now faced with a press tour and growing fame.

This was such a refreshing story from Kelley Armstrong considering Rom Com’s are not her usual genre, but the writing style was what I come to expect and love from her.

I want to say thank you so much to Net Gallery for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

I admit I do read a LOT of romance novels. I picked this one up as a netgalley.com advanced readers copy based on the fun description: a female author hires a hunky accountant to act as the person represented by her male pseudonym! As we know, authors and accountants are both pretty rare in the romance world as MMC and FMC. So 5 stars for the premise of the book! I also found myself laughing out load at the antics of the MMC and I was routing for the HEA all the way through the book. I also really enjoyed the inside look at writing and the publishing industry. Great first romance from Kelley Armstrong - can't wait to see more from her and I'm inspired to go back through her catalogue of fantasies and suspense and see what else i can find.

This was a pretty standard rom-com... I found myself invested enough to finish, but also wondering why it was so dragged out.

The relationship between the main characters was a slow, slow burn (they should have gotten together 200 pages before they did, in my opinion) and it's not clear exactly why the MMC falls so hard or so fast. I think that should have been explored a little more.

You know in the first 50 pages how this will end, which can be comforting but can also be frustrating when it's taking so long to get there.

I liked this book- but don't think it was anything spectacular.

A new book by Kelley Armstrong is always great news. Finding out it was a romcom just made it more exciting.

I loved the FMC, Daphne. As always, Kelley Armstrong writes an engaging, competent woman that feels alive and relatable. If you are familiar with her writing, this is no surprise. You also get glimpses of writing and the industry that surrounds it, the misogyny that can still be present in these industries, which makes this book more interesting than what I was expecting when I first picked it up.

The premise is fun, and it is a cute book with lovable characters and sometimes adorably silly moments.

It was the kind of book you can finish in one sitting, which for me is always a plus.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book.

This was a fun premise, especially as a writer myself! I loved both of the main characters and how the plot unfolded as Daphne's lie about her true identity spiralled more and more out of control.

The thing that felt a bit off to me was the fact that within one chapter, the POV hopped back and forth every page or two (from Daphne to Chris), and sometimes that was a little jarring.

Overall though, a cute romance!

My reaction to finding out that Kelley Armstrong had written a romcom was surprise and delight. While her Women of the Otherworld series still remains my favorite, I have enjoyed her forays into mystery and horror as well. The woman can write any genre and I am here for it!

In Finding Mr. Write, the main character, Daphne, chooses to publish her book under a male pseudonym and ends up hiring an “actor” to play the role of author and hilarity and awkwardness ensue. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the peek into the literary world… learning about editors, publishers, publicists and what it would be like to be on tour for a bestselling book kept me engrossed in the story. I enjoyed the developing feelings between Daphne and Chris and the slow burn paid off! One of my least favorite book tropes is miscommunication… in this particular story it was more misunderstanding/misinterpretation but it was still a little cringeworthy. Thankfully it didn’t take up much of the book but it still soured it a bit for me. Still a sweet and entertaining read overall and if Kelley Armstrong decides to write more in this genre I’ll be reading them.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy!

This review is my opinion and my opinion only. I received this ARC through Netgalley. I love Kelley Armstrong’s books. She great at world and character development. This story is a romance. It’s about Daphne and Chris. Daphne is an author and was having trouble getting her story published. Frustrated, she sent her story in with a male’s names on the manuscript, and it was picked up. So, now her pen name is Zane Remington. The publisher is bugging her for a head shot. Her best friend found an “actor” (Chris) to be the face of Zane. But things started getting out of control. How??? You must read the book.
I thought this was a cute story with some realistic hurdles that women have to deal with. I do think you will enjoy this book.

I have been a long time fan of Kelley Armstrong's (throwing all the way back to when Bitten was released), so I'm always excited to see her branch out to new things. Despite not usually being drawn to the romance genre I really enjoyed Finding Mr. Write. I struggled a bit with understanding the contrast between who Chris really was and the part he was trying to play, but that could be my personality coming through more than the character itself. I didn't understand why he would want to be an ass to play the part off-camera when all he needed to so was show that he could be 'that guy' when the media was paying attention. I couldn't quite follow his reasoning there, but again that could just be me.

I do love to read books about authors, and I loved everything about Daphne. Her home in the Yukon, her backstory, the stress of getting published as a woman and the anxiety that weighs on her - they all made me want to see where her story went and follow it through to the end. Chris was a great character when he was being true to himself and even if I didn't click with his storyline as well, he was a great match for Daphne. This was a delightful easy read!

Daphne wrote an amazing book that she is desperate to publish but when her luck as a woman (yes, the inequality that exists is still not fair) runs out, she pens the name Zane Remington and it’s like winning the lottery with the number of 0’s she is offered for her book deal. Now what?!? Obviously, continue the ruse by hiring a male actor to be this amazing author! Finding Mr. Write is a super fun and smooth read and I would have never guessed that this is the author’s first time writing in this genre! Zane (real name Chris) is adorably out of his element in nature from his car to his encounters with wildlife, which provides a wonderful chuckle! As the book’s success soars, the weight of the predicament escalates and so does the chemistry…

Kelley Armstrong is one of those writers who can do no wrong for me. Contemporary Rom-coms are about as far from my usual taste as it gets, and yet I still finished this in a sitting.

Chris, our MMC, gives golden retriever energy right from the get go. So depending on the amount of tension you like can be a pro or a con. Daphne the FMC is a character I think every reader and aspiring writer can empathize with, but also strongly envy. She felt a little too real and relatable emotionally, which I think definitely earned this book some extra points.

Am I a rom-com convert? No, but I think Kelley's writing style makes her books easy to enjoy no matter what your taste is. Finding Mr Write is no exception.

A critique of the internalized misogyny of the publishing world AND a cute love story all in one? Sign me up.
4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Daphne McFadden, axe-wielding zombie novelist in the remote Yukon, is trapped in a web of her own making. After submitting her manuscript under a male pseudonym (after a little too much wine and too many rejections), she hires actor Chris Ainsworth to portray Zane Remington on the back of her book. Easy. Done. Chris Stanton has backed himself into a corner. The Clark Kent-type hot accountant took an acting gig (for the first time since drama club), and now he's stuck pretending to be professional himbo Chris Ainsworth... who is pretending to be the ultimate designer flannel-wearing, wood chopping man's man, Zane Remington. When the book becomes a huge hit, the two are suddenly faced with a press tour and media scrutiny, all while a growing attraction is building. But as the whirlwind of fame converges on them, how long can they keep this secret?

Daphne and Chris are excellent characters. They're both around 30, and it shows (in a good way). They're both actual adults who deal with their problems in a logical, mature way, and none of the choices either of them made caused me to want to throw my book against a wall (especially helpful when you're reading on a Kindle). The relationship conflicts they face are not the result of unprocessed trauma, but those of real adult people. In my opinion, these characters have both gone to therapy. Also, I want Chris to do my taxes.

Daphne is pulling the ultimate "ask not what you can do for the patriarchy, but what the patriarchy can do for you" and doesn't always feel comfortable with that. She consistently questions whether her choice is rooted in internalized misogyny, and comes to the result many of us do: we just don't know. She's facing a lot of uncertainty that many of us in our late 20s/early 30s do, and approaches this entire situation with equal amounts of poise and chaos (in the best possible way). Chris consistently meets her where she is and is the ultimate cheerleader and cinnamon roll, and their relationship is just so cute.

The pacing was incredibly well done, and the rhythm gives the same feeling that a nostalgic girlypop song brings. The beginning was a little rushed, but it allowed us to dive straight into the action of the story. I was originally hesitant when I noticed how quickly the dual POV switched back and forth (multiple times per chapter), but it wound up being one of my favorite things about this book.

Other things I liked:
✨ no excessive mentions of social media or references that age quickly
✨ it's cute and fun while still dealing with topics like institutional misogyny in a way that doesn't feel out of place in a love story
✨ dragging old white male authors who write BIPOC female MCs without any input about lived experiences
✨ acknowledgement of indigenous people existing in the area where the book is set
✨ boy obsessed trope
✨ black cat/golden retriever couple
✨ banter that made me laugh out loud
✨ cute dog (every book should have a dog)

Absolutely worth a preorder, it's great. Thanks to Forever Publishing & NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.