Member Reviews
A cute, closed door rom-com featuring forced proximity as Charlotte goes on a tandem bike journey with Zach (her brother’s ex-fiancé!) to try and win money and save her school music program. There were some laughable scenes resulting from calamities along their journey, the banter was well portrayed and there were a few faith-based scenarios too. I listened to this on audio and thought the narrator did a great job.
Love in Tandem was a laugh-out-loud fun read! Zach and Charlotte have so many unexpected happenings in their lives, they just have to roll with the punches. Their witty banter was so entertaining, and I really wasn't sure how the story would end. I loved this audio so much that I bought Becca Kinzer's debut novel (Dear Henry, Love Edith) the next week! Highly recommended!
I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #LoveinTandem
This book was adorable! I would call it a modern day Christian romance. An ex-fiancée's brother/fake-dating story of 2 people who find themselves pretending to be a couple during a tandem bike riding competition. They definitely have to get to know each other, and feelings develop while they're on this trip. The only spice was kissing, so that was a nice change to what's been trending online lately! This is one I'd definitely let my teenage daughter read.
A wholesome uplifting and funny story of Charlotte and Zach’s fake to budding romance as they participate in a 500 mile tandem bike competition. They have many awkward and humorous moments as they make their 500 mile trek.
Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the audio version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I listened to the audio book version and really enjoyed the narration! Love in Tandem was such a fun story to listen to. There were some serious and sad moments, but this novel was primarily focused on a situation that forced these two opposites into close proximity with each other. I appreciated that even early on, Charlotte and Zach battled a bit of an attraction to each other, however, they were mostly frustrated with what they had been pushed into together. I did like that although this ride and camping were very out of Charlotte’s comfort zone, she actually did commit to trying to make it work.
This story had plenty of laugh out loud and zany moments, but also moments of connection for Charlotte and Zach as they grew to know each other. Their time together also showed some things that they needed to work on both emotionally and in their faith. The faith thread was light, but it was there, making this a story that anyone could probably enjoy. I liked the cute secondary romance that developed, too. This was the first book that I have read by this author and it was lots of fun.
(4.5 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Inspired by a tandem bike ride the author took with her husband, Love in Tandem by Becca Kinzer is a farcical and funny romcom. I really enjoyed the audiobook narrated by C.J. Bloom who infused personality into this colorful cast of characters and conveyed the humor flawlessly.
Charlotte and Zach, who already have history, are forced together on a 10-day tandem bike ride on the Natchez Trace in the heat of summer. The events before and during their journey are zany yet just within the realm of possibility. The only part I felt was unrealistic was the happily-ever-after ending. But this story isn't all laughs and physical comedy - there's also deeper meaning and elements of faith.
I haven't yet read Ms. Kinzer's debut Dear Henry, Love Edith but if it's anything like Love in Tandem, it will be my go-to audiobook the next time I need humor and heart in my reading life.
Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for providing access to the audiobook.
I absolutely LOVED this audiobook! CJ Bloom did a phenomenal job in narrating all of the characters! There were some scenes throughout the book that made me laugh a lot. This story is about Zach and Charlotte and how they go on a 500 mile tandem bike ride to win a ginormous amount of money or so they think. The adventure they have during the bike ride is hilarious and has some heartfelt moments along the way as well. Zach and Charlotte start to develop a relationship and learn new things about each other on the bike ride and learn about each other's family's as well. If you like romantic comedies, heartfelt romance books, and audiobooks this book is for you!
I didn't love this, but I've def read worse. The idea of this was good enough for me to request it, but I didn't end up enjoying it as much as I hoped. Some of it felt cringey and other parts of it made me roll my eyes. This one was a miss for me. It didn't feel real enough and I honestly got bored listening to it.
Wild ride full of hiccups and laugh out loud moments! With a little faith everything is right in the end. C.J. Bloom always does an excellent job with narration. Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced copy for n exchange for my honest review
Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC! This was a fun read. Slow burn romantic between Charlotte and Zach. Their care and consideration for each other was adorable! Loved the aspect of getting outside and having to work towards a common goal.
I do believe the storyline of Sophie I didn’t connect with as much.
But a cute listen :)
Thank you to the NetGalley and RB Media for an early listen of this book. All thoughts are my own, I do not accept money for reviews.
Before I get too far into this review, I do want to preface this with I was in a reading slump when I listened to it.
This audiobook was so cute! So much happens in this book, and it is surprisingly a heavy read. Due to me not reading synopses before reading a book, I didn’t know that religion would play such a large part of this story. Now, I am Christian and I don’t have religious trauma, so that was not a problem for me, but might be something you want to check out if religion is a bad subject for you.
The spiritual journey in this book is beautiful. Charlotte and Zach both have gone through bad things in their life and they temporarily loose or question their faith, which I would say is normal. It’s normal to question why things happen in your life, why it’s you that is struggling. Just don’t shut down or shut the people that are there to help you out, and you’ll find yourself where you’re supposed to be.
This unexpectedly witty and humorous book pulled me in from the very beginning. It's truly a testament to the fact that you can have a cleverly-written romance without all the spice and language. I immediately saw the chemistry between Zach and Charlotte and even though this type of story isn't about unexpected plot twists, or even "I wonder if they'll get together" angst, I enjoyed the unfolding relationship and where Kinzer took all the characters throughout. This is my first novel of hers but won't be my last!
Thanks to @NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for this ARC!
For whatever reason, this was a slow start for me but I ended up really enjoying this book. Charlotte & Zach fake relationship leads them to tandem bike 500 miles together. The end result of their bike ride is a hopeful cash reward but the unfolding romance between them is of far greater reward. You will laugh while you fall in love with Charlotte & Zach during their long journey to the end of their ride. Love a good clean romance!!
Wow! What a cute, innocent romance. While it is a Christian romance, I think those that do not identify themselves as Christians may like it, too. It was just so sweet. You wouldn't be embarrassed if someone were to overhear an excerpt. It's very clean!
The narrator, C.J. Bloom, does an excellent job narrating the book. I found her voice to be very engaging and easy to listen to.
The book, Love in Bloom, is a story about discovery. Discovering what you want in life, who you want to become, who you want to be with, and what makes you happy. It is a fun listen about a young woman, Charlotte, who wants to build a music program in a small town with little funding for such a program. In addition to stressing about the music program, Charlotte's ex-fiancé is about to get married, and she thinks her mother's cancer has returned.
Charlotte needs to find funding stat, both for the music program and to help ease the burden of the cost of cancer treatment. There happens to be contest, where Charlotte could earn win enough money to help both issues. The one problem - she will have to ride a bike 500 miles - a tandem bike, with her ex-fiancé's brother. Oh boy.
Such a cute listen!
Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What a beautiful love story!! It had me laughing, crying and not wanting to stop listening! Highly recommend!
This was a sweet romance book with an interesting plot! The characters were so charming and lovely, I loved their storyline. The antics throughout the book were hilarious that had me chuckling throughout. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed it immensely.
If “People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry was a Christian Rom-Com it would be this book! This had such a fun and unique story line with such quirky and funny characters that had me laughing throughout. I also appreciated that there was conflict but not the kind of conflict we see in romances a lot where it has an easy resolution that the characters don’t see. ALSO major bonus points because this is the first, recent book/tv/movie where I did not feel like Christians were painted out to be kooky and strange. My ONLY critique was with some of the actual literary choices, there were a few cheesy lines that docked a star for me! I’d recommend if you’re looking for a funny, Emily-Henry esque, clean read!
Love in Tandem by Becca Kinzer is a sweet, clean, and fun book. The story follows Charlotte Carter, a music teacher that has finally landed her dream job but it is in jeopardy of being closed due to a lack of funds. Her ex-fiancé is getting married and his brother, Zach Bryant, comes to town and he and Charlotte end up doing a 500 mile ride on a tandem bike in hopes of raising money to save her job. There are some crazy situations that happen which brought more laughs to the reading. Faith is mentioned, but it isn't forced, it all seems natural.
Love in Tandem by Becca Kinzer is a sweet contemporary romance novel. It was a fun story with some well developed characters. As is common in books, there were events occurring that are not realistic-such as an out of shape music teacher suddenly cycling 500 miles over 10 days-particularly in the heat of summer in the south. However, as long as you don’t dwell on that this is a fun book. The audiobook narrator was great and this was such a fun book to listen to. While the content is “clean” from the beginning, it was not until the later parts of the book when God & faith were actually mentioned. I forgot it was explicitly Christian until I was past the halfway point.
Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Giving it 3.5/5 stars! I listened to the audiobook and it’s a super cute Christian Romance! Finished this in two days and really liked the narrator! C.J. Bloom was really good and I enjoyed her delivery with the characters!
If you want a PG rated cozy rom/com with some fun twists in the plot (her parents story was sweet), then I highly recommend!