Oh my! Confusion abounds when Indiana (Ana) Aaron is referred to as "he" and the boss thinks she is a he in the Zoom meetings. When she is essentially demoted for speaking up (been there, done that and still working at the same company and now telling the boss how to do his job LOL but I digress) she is fully remote and still doing her job like a boss! When her new boss wants to meet Indiana and flies in to meet him, her coworkers/friends come up with so many zany reasons why he/she is not available. This is not truly a rom-com but more of a women's fiction with a romance sidenote. It was a lot of fun though.

Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. I understood the idea that the author had, but it ultimately fell flat and I ended up being more annoyed with the FMC than anything. It came off as miscommunication a lot of times, something as simple and an email signature edit could have helped her out.

This book follows Indiana who works in the male dominated field of IT. After being ignored and under appreciated time and time again she tries out being more assertive and finds her coworkers assuming she is an Aaron not an Ana. When she starts to see her career develop the way that she wants she finds the persona harder and harder to give it up.

This book felt refreshing and witty. There were so many moments I wanted her to just come right out with it and own up to what was happening but I loved the drama and back and forth that it was causing. I would definitely say this book is more of a Women's Fiction with a romance subplot verse a Rom-Com style romance but I really enjoyed it.

I would recommend this story to any woman who works in a male dominated field who loves a good workplace romance. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

When I first requested this book I was in a different headspace and thought I'd really enjoy this. But the more I got into this the more it became triggering to me. I'm sure others will love this book, but workplace hostility and workplace issues are something I've found I have trouble reading about, based on lived experiences. I hope others will love this book, it just wasn't for me.

This one was cute, I enjoyed the story and the idea behind it. I would definitely recommend it to others. The narrator did a fantastic job and really brought the characters to life

I tried really hard to get into this audio, but I just couldn’t. The narration just wasn’t for me. And that’s not me saying it was bad, it just was hard for me to get into it bc of their voice and inflections. I really appreciate the opportunity though and look forward to reading the physical copy. Thank you so much!

I can't even remember what happened in this book, it had an interesting premise but I did finish it and no memory of it.

Romance is my fave, and I love when I discover a new to me author. Not Bad For A Girl has been all over my instagram feed so I was excited to request the audiobook format when I saw it was available for request here.

The banter, the fun plot, and all the laughs made for a great escape read for me. The narration was great, and I love how audiobooks can bring me even closer to the emotions and characters of the story.

*many thanks to Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Honestly the narration was annoying and I ended up not finishing the book. I might try it again as a physical read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: The Man - Taylor Swif (I already used this song this year but Oh my god it’s perfect!)

💭What I thought would happen:

Ooooo you just know this book is stocked full of sexism in the workplace. Give em hell sister

📖What actually happens:

Indiana is a coder, one of the best who just got passed on a promotion to the guy she trained because she doesn’t have 🍆.

When she speaks up she gets transferred to the failing New York office. Because she works remote and her thumbnail is a picture of Indiana Jones her new boss and colleagues think she’s a dude. All of a sudden a she’s being given all the responsibilities and respect…hmm coincidence?

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Ya’ll…why is this author not getting more recognition! You Should Smile More was my developed read of November 2023. And this one brought the heat!

The GoodReads rating is 3.65 and I am bamboozled! Why! It’s a shortie, it’s hilarious and it tackles discrimination against women. Beam me up Scottie.

This one has my STAMP OF APPROVAL. But you know I like a strong badass female mc who destroys chauvinistic dickheads with their skills and words 💋✌🏻

Loved it! Hopefully I can convince you to give it a try 🩷

Read if you like:
💜Women in STEM
🫶🏼Karmic retribution
🐠Guppies
💦Men with smooth deep voices
😂Laughing
💘The BARBIE movie

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley & author for giving me an opportunity to read/listen to this audiobook :)

As a fellow woman who works in a male dominated industry. I wanted to love this book. The premises and plot was definitely interesting when I read the blurb. However, the execution fell short personally for me. I applaud the author for highlighting the issues in “Not Bad For A Girl”, I felt it could’ve had a bit more development. As for the romance between the fmc/mc it wasn’t for me. It felt like the issues and backstory needed a bit more details. Overall, it was still a fairly interesting read and I look forward to Anastasia’s future books.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This book was not my usual style but I couldn't stop laughing. Such a fun/funny story. Indiana was fantastic and I loved following her on this adventure.

Not Bad for a Girl by Anastasia Ryan was the STEM-focused romcom I didn't know I needed in my life! This is my first time reading work by Ryan, and I was very entertained. A huge thank you to NetGalley, Anastasia Ryan, Jesse Vilinsky, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with this audio ARC!

Here are some thoughts I had while reading that describe my feelings about this title:
- Jesse Vilinsky is one of my favorite narrators ever, so this is a very obvious plus for me
- Indiana was such a realistic and relatable main character!
- Shane was perfect. New book boyfriend.
- The S.J. reveal was SO GOOD!!!!!!!
- I need Indiana's dad to adopt me ASAP, thanks! The Vegas scenes had me ROLLING.
- I just adored the Diana team. I felt so vindicated during the presentation scene at the end!!!!
- Heidi is so fun, can she be my new best friend?
- This was so funny, campy, and a little outlandish.

Overall, I am rating Not Bad for a Girl four out of five stars. You'd love this title if you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, The Kiss Quotient, The Love Wager, and similar titles!

Based on the cover and description, I thought this was a cute little workplace romcom. I was sadly mistaken. It started with a case of mistaken identity and a whole lot of misogyny, and ended with a letdown. Way too many outlandish and absurd scenarios while she tries to keep up her ruse. Very flat and unrealistic characters and backstories that just weren’t as filled out as they should be. Just wasn’t as much romance in this as I had hoped for, either. It was almost like it was forgotten until the last minute to throw some romance into the story.

Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first time reading something by this author and I found it to be a very entertaining read. I also listened to this as an audiobook, which was a treat. Indiana is an IT specialist and isn't afraid of speaking her mind at work. But when she does this one too many times, her boss's ego can't take it anymore and she gets transferred to a remote team. She knows she has to tread lightly if she doesn't want to lose her job. When her new boss mistakes her for a man, she's not quick to correct him, especially now that she's finally being taken seriously. Indiana's mistaken identity seems becomes more complicated and things start getting out of control, and then the handsome tech guy she works with, Shane, helps her out. Things definitely get crazy and the shenanigans and hijinks had me smilingly and laughing all the way through. The story had a sweet romance, but it was really more about the empowerment of women and fighting back against workplace discrimination. The writing was well-done and kept my interest the whole time. I like Indiana, she was just a realistic and relatable character and I'm glad she had Shane in her corner. Overall, a very delightful read!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Girls Rule Boys Drool
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)  
Spice: 🌶️ (1/5)  
Audio Rating: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️(4/5)

Tropes:   
ChickLit
Workplace Romance
Mistaken Identity
Misogyny

Vibes:   
This one hits pretty close to home for any working female in a male dominated industry. I went into this book blindly, and thought it was wonderful. Well written, unique, comical, but also strikingly realistic at times. I did expect a tad more romance, but loved the HEA (even without the spice). All the characters were captivating and quirky. It was a total win for women in the work place!

Audio Notes:
Great audio performance. Characters were easy to distinguish. Pacing and tone were excellent. It was a pleasant listening experience recommended to any chick lit listener.

Recommended to...  
All you chicklit readers who rage against workplace misogyny.

Thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to access this book. This was such a fast and fun read.

I read a book recently that was quite enjoyable and had me laughing out loud at times. It wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it was a fun read. I would consider it as a palate cleanser; the kind of book you read after reading something intense or dark, or when you're in need of a quick pick-me-up. That's what this book was for me.

Although it appears to be a romance novel, there is some romance in the story, but it's not the primary focus. It's more of a coming-of-age story about a woman trying to break through in a male-dominated world. The protagonist, Indiana, is mistaken for a man because of her name, and she just goes along with the assumption. Her friends add to the confusion, and Indiana becomes somewhat of a legend that no one can live up to.

Through her struggles with misogyny, Indiana learns a lot about herself and how to handle the situation she finds herself in. Along the way, we meet some sassy best friends and an equally sassy elderly father. As I mentioned earlier, the book is enjoyable, although not the best I've read. What I loved about it was the snark and humor that made me laugh out loud.

I don’t have much to say about this book, it was rather forgettable.

The good:
- there was one conversation between the main character and her father that I really liked.
- occasionally the plot had a little depth.

The not so good:
- pop culture references. I just don’t like those.
- sometimes rather unrealistic / the characters made the dumbest decisions.
- I didn’t care about the romance aspect at all, so that wasn’t great.

Overall a mediocre book that failed to get me invested.


[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]