Thank you to Entangled Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read! The main characters are open, honest, funny and sexy. The romance is too tier and I found myself completely absorbed from the jump.

My favorite part of “Work it Out” is the complexity of the characters. They compliment each other but work very well on their own.

I definitely recommend!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the humor in the book. They were a lot of characters to keep up with and I got confused at times as to who was who.

I liked the whole gym scene the book was mostly about.
I liked the main characters too.

There are some triggers in this story so be sure to look into the trigger warnings before reading.

I loved the premise of this book andThis had such potential but just fell flat for me.

I found that I was continually getting confused by the amount of characters - I couldn't keep them all straight! This is also very dialogue heavy with not a lot of letting the characters actions do their talking.

I also struggled with Jake's descriptions of Rayah's body - it felt a little gratuitous after a while.

I did enjoy the medical representation of Jake's POTs and enjoyed his journey of acceptance and struggle. I also enjoyed learning more about Rayah's trauma and her health journey empire.

Unfortunately this one didn't hit the mark for me but it's a brilliant premise!

#rochellereadsit

The summary was SO good for this but I'm a bit taken aback by my lack of interest in the story as well as the extraneous and immature physical descriptions of Rayah from Jake's POV are. I had to actually go back and check who was the author since it seemed like a male was writing. It's been very difficult to get into the story and I'm not getting into it very much.

I really liked the premise of this - B-list TV actor Jake Newman wants to become an action hero just in time to star in the movie adaptation of his favorite comic book. He goes back to his home town in Arizona to train with his childhood best friend. He wants to keep things quiet because he has a secret - he has POTS, or Postural tachycardia syndrome, and his body is pretty unpredictable, but only a few people know that. His friend works for a business that has a giant wellness/fitness/training compound, owned and managed by former gymnast Rayah Summers. Rayah and Jake share an immediate attraction and Jake flirts with her shamelessly while hiding his health condition. There was a lot to like here, but it didn't all completely gel for me. I enjoyed the character development and the interesting juxtaposition of a movie star in a small town, but I think there was maybe too much to tackle in one book - a chronically ill MMC, a FMC with a lot of trauma, a large-ish cast of side characters, etc. It didn't all get the attention that it could have. I did like Siedler's writing a lot and would absolutely read more from her. Content warning for off page sexual assault.

This was a cute read. It did take me awhile to get through the book. There were times where I had trouble connecting with the characters. I really wanted to enjoy this book more. I would’ve loved to see more chemistry between the main characters.

Jake Newman is up for the new superhero role but needs to get in shape quickly and meets Rayah Summers, a former gymnast who will help him get there.
I honestly really enjoyed this romance. I thought it was cute and fast paced. I loved the representation of chronic illness but also the discussion on masculinity (with Jake’s ex, read the book!).
The two main characters were developed with their own past and ambitions, but I wanted more about Jake (especially his past).
I hope there will be more books following other characters in the book. Overall, a fun, spicy romance.
Check the trigger warnings if you are thinking of picking up this book!

This book was so much fun to read! I was literally laughing out loud. I loved the diversity and representation of chronic illness and neurodivergence. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Entangled publishing for providing me with this free eARC. All opinions are my own.

Gorgeous cover, more like this, please!

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How far did I get? At least 100 pages in, then I started skimming.

Why did I stop? There was too much going on, and I wasn’t emotionally invested in any of it. The story tries to tackle too many topics at once – the hero’s celebrity status, his secret health condition, the found family at the gym, the heroine’s past, OM/OW drama, and a whole lot more. I was initially interested in the central storyline (celebrity trains for a superhero role and meets a strong, fierce woman in the process), but there’s a LOT more than that going on. That also meant the pacing was off, with the hero’s feelings seeming to develop out of nowhere. I also didn’t love that the heroine’s friend was so clearly in love with her, and the drama that comes from that. I didn’t see the potential for things to improve, so I set it aside.

Was I enjoying it initially? Yeah, kinda. I love the cover and the blurb caught my interest, so I was excited going into this. I’m not a big fan of third-person POV, but it didn’t bother me too much in this instance. I liked the concepts at play, and I was interested in seeing how they’d play out. But once the story got sidetracked, it lost my interest entirely.

Would I finish this? No. If I’m writing a DNF review for an ARC, that means there’s zero chance I plan to finish it. Looking at its Goodreads rating – which always drops post-publication – I can tell that I’m not the only one who couldn’t get behind the story.

Who would I recommend this to? Third-person POV-lovers who enjoy celebrity romances and messy storylines. Anyone who doesn’t mind a hearty dose of drama. I also think it’s going to get darker as it goes, just a heads up!

“One day, you’ll meet someone who makes you feel like a hero for doing all that stuff you don’t want to do. When she bosses you around, you’ll just want to crow about the fact that she’s your boss and no one else’s. When the way she needs you isn’t a suffocating weight but the air you breathe, you’ll know she was meant to be yours, and you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she feels the same way about you.” Jake and Rayah’s love story, full of mischief, crazy people, swooning but also tough moments will tug at your heart. Simple amazing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a really cute sweet book - I had some confusion throughout namely with names. there's a lot and its not fully fleshed out to keep them straight for me and the main MC has 2 names which really threw me a lot.

I also didn't love the terms of endearment used - but after it was explained further I corrected myself in thinking. It's just not names I would like, but they are explained and it was impactful.

Overall, I think this could technically use some more cleaning up - there were a few typos and cleaning up in the sense of making things a bit more clear maybe and a bit less instalove BUT i loved the representation of POTS, the characters and setting.

The book overall was cute, funny, sexy and fun.

Thank you entangled for sending me an E-ARC of Work it Out!

I am so sorry to DNF this one. I think I just wasn’t the ideal reader for it. I love a good romcom and it started off cute. I just had my qualms that made me feel like I was pushing myself to read it.

Work It Out is a cute small-town romance between actor Jake Newman and gym owner Rayah Summers. I liked the pace of this book, I loved the side characters, and Jake and Rayah had a fun chemistry and relationship.
I wish we got more attention on Jake's past, but I did find it confusing when it changed back and forth with his name being Chris/Christopher (his real name) and Jake (his actor name)
It was a cute, fast-paced read.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

This was a really cute book and I really enjoyed it! Thank you, Entangled for sending me an ARC for a review!

This is one of those stories where you have a character who is highly dependent on numbers and doesn't really believe in love (Deanna) and an artistic, nerdy, hopeless romantic who is hung up on his childhood neighbor crush (River). Deanna happens to be the sister of River's childhood crush, and from the beginning tells River he needs to get over Lexi because they would never work. Years later, when River moves back next door to take care of his sick grandma, feelings start to kick up again, and Deanna has to do everything she can to keep River away from Lexi.

Deanna is techie, and has developed a new dating app that she's trying to get investors for to make even bigger. She has used numbers and algorithms to find the perfect matches for people, including her playgirl sister Lexi. She is currently in her first real, longer term relationship and Deanna doesn't want it messed with. When grown up River catches her eye, Deanna makes a bet with River. If he can convince her of the magic of falling in love, he can go after Lexi. If he can't, he has to stay away and help Deanna keep Lexi and her boyfriend together. It really isn't an issue for Deanna pretty quickly because River starts to fall for her the more they hang out and get to know each other.

I had a lot of fun reading this, especially when it's the woman who is in the tech industry and is the powerhouse in the relationship. She's smart and intimidating, and River is all for it. There is a lot of really great banter and some really great humor from a grandma who writes smutty romance novels ;)

Spice:🌶🌶.5

Contemporary romance may not be my favorite subgenre but I'm always willing to take a bite when the plot intrigues me. Work It Out seemed like it had potential, but I was inundated by overexposition. I was bombarded by too many characters and a bloated narrative. The story started off with deceit and I immediately knew what my reading experience would entail. Jake and Rayah could have had a perfect romance, but it appeared like they were committed to self sabotage. Lying about a serious medical diagnosis before embarking on an intense exercise regime is a red flag the size of Arizona.

I wanted to like this couple, I really did. I love endearments and Jake called her Cupcake. It was cute at first until it was repeated nearly three times per page. Sweet little nicknames are a nice touch, but goodness gracious, use some variety. There was also a gross love triangle element and the heroine ended up kissing the third party with nary a sizzle. She wasn't fully involved with the hero yet but it still felt wrong. Rayah gave off major Shawn Johnson vibes and was a firecracker in a tiny muscular body. The hero lightly fetishized her size and grew ickier as the book progressed. As a pocket princess myself, I was very self conscious over my diminutive height while I read. I get that she's tiny, but leave the poor lady be!

This was my first exercise-centric romance and let's just say we didn't Work It Out. It's a bummer because I was looking forward to a new trope to experience. I'll still experiment with contemporary and hopefully I can find another book that meets the same enjoyment I've found with historical and paranormal romance. I do all my exercises at home with my darling Youtuber GrowWithJo and refuse to pay for a membership, although I would be more inclined if I scored a honey like Jake. I know the gym is a great way to meet people, but I'm not interested in liars. Looks like it didn't work out this time. Maybe next time, pal.

this was SO cute and a fantastic romcom! the premise was definitely unique and this cover?! i was obsessed.

i’m not usually one for third person pov, but that’s really just a personal preference. this was done okay (albeit a little confusing at times to distinguish who we were looking at), but it wasn't completely intolerable. i found myself intrigued by the story from the start. it was cheesy, sweet, & had rep that i don’t typically see in these books.

the characters definitely won me over and i loved rayah (fmc). she was funny & sarcastic and i think her dynamic matched the mmc’s! i wish there was more depth to them, but they were still cute & i was rooting for them.

there was also definitely some unnecessary drama involved, but overall, a good & fun read that i enjoyed.

loved this romance between a gymnast and an actor and finding their way to love while he is dealing with a new chronic illness. I would to see her friends all find love including blaine. loved the smexy times.

This was plane ride read #2. Super quick celebrity romance that had as many ups as downs. Definitely needed a bit more editorial work, but overall strived to hit new notes and was mildly successful.


Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

DNF

Eva Siedler's forced proximity romance Work It Out centers on the relationship between trainer Rayah Summers and actor Jake Newman.

I had anticipated that I would at the very least enjoy this book because of the gorgeous characters and cover detail. But I was mistaken.

Because the chapters and paragraphs in the book were so long—up to eleven minutes—I knew right away that I wouldn't particularly enjoy it.

Also, Rayah acted as though she was in her early twenties even though she appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. What was she thinking when she laughed evilly. Like hello? That was so random.

Also, I didn't sense any chemistry at all between Rayah and Jake. When they were together, there was no tension because they were both so dull. And although I made an effort to give them a chance, I was unable to go on.

Even though I didn’t really enjoy the novel or the main characters, I really loved Pierce and his humor.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and to the author, Eva Siedler, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Jake Newman needs to be buff to get a role as a superhero… enter Rayah Summers, an ex-gymnast who owns a gym. As she helps him change his body, he helps her heal her heart.

This book. It had such potential, and it just didn’t live up to it. It has representation of chronic illness and assault survival, but that is the only positive about this book. There was no chemistry between the main characters as the pacing was way off, and there were a ton of underdeveloped side characters. The dialogue was immature and condescending to the point that it was painful to read.

And this has nothing to do with the story, but the nicknames were annoying. Jake refers to Rayah as “Cupcake” which she hates at first, but then she’s into it simply because he’s hot. Also, Jake is obviously a stage name, but it’s never explained.

This book was a huge disappointment, but I did miraculously make it through the whole book, so two stars, I guess.